By The Moonlight
by sanzianamiu49
Summary: "Yes, I knew her," Remus said to Harry. A story about the enigmatic character of Remus Lupin. Journey back to 1975, when the Marauders began their fifth year, and learn about how Remus became the man Harry knew. Pairings (romantic/friendship): LilyXRemus, LilyxJames; JamesxRemus; Siriusxothers; Possible warnings : swearing, underage drinking, etc.
1. 30th of August : Shiny, Red Badge

**Disclaimer : All rights reserved to J. for creating the amazing world of Harry Potter.**

**A/N**: I've become attached to the character of Remus Lupin ever since I read Deathly Hallows, and noticed how under-developped the Marauder plot-line is exploited. Seeing as it is my favourite timeline in the Harry Potter universe, I've decided to write a story on Remus' life at Hogwarts, with interesting plot twists and conflicts between him and his friends. This will not be a typical love story.

Please review, follow and favourite, and help me make the story better!

_ -S. _

* * *

_30th of August, 1975_

Staring at the tiny, red badge was no other than 15-year-old Remus Lupin, feeling confused and utterly excited at the same time. He would have never imagined himself as a Prefect. Albeit, he was top of his class, but his mischief and troublemaker reputation kept him for maintaining a clean record, and everyone knows Prefects are supposed to be perfect know-it-alls, preferably disciplined and stern. Examining the contents of the package his Prefect badge came in, Remus found a letter from no other than the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

_Dear Remus, _

_ I have chosen you as Prefect for an infinite number of reasons, although I am sure you will doubt each and every one of my words, seeing as you are a bright, humble, and unfortunately unaware-of-his-extraordinary-endowments young man. Alas, I will not enlarge much more on this subject, and I will proceed to request that you keep an eye on your beloved, yet mischievious friends, namely Mr. James Potter and Mr. Sirius Black. And remember this, my dear Remus: __It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends._

_Yours faithfully, _

_Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, _

_Headmaster of Hogwarts Scholl of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Post scriptum: I hope you will find your way to the Prefect's compartment 30 minutes before the train's departure. _

_ "_So that's why Dumbledore chose me as Prefect," Remus thought to himself as he was neatly packing his Oxford shirts and v-neck sweaters into his trunk. "Whatever his reasons, I certainly doubt that James and Sirius will ever listen to me, even if I am a Prefect and thus can get them into serious trouble,"

Remus put the letter away, and attached his badge to his well-kept Gryffindor tie, so that it would be hard to misplace. His trunk sat on his small, simple bed, inside his small, simple room, an idealy-designed chamber for a young man, having all his necessities in his proximity : books, a desk, a wardrobe, a bed, and of course, more books. Despite the fact that his family was not poor, his room, and his house as well, was a small, functional dwelling, unlike other wizards' home, vibrating with oppulence. This may be due to Mr. Lupin's modest nature, but Remus could not consider taking into consideration their constant moving as a contributing factor.

When his black, common Griffyndor robes reached his hands, he could not resist the urge to put them on, remembering all the laughs and good times he had had in them at school, and ecstatic over the prospect of a new year and new adventures awaiting. As he placed his last pair of black jeans into his trunk, along with several other abnormally elegant and mature clothes for his age, the door creaked and a frail, blonde woman entered the room with a cup-full of pitch black tea.

"Remus, honey, I've made you tea. I know how it soothes you in the afternoon," his mother said gently while she placed her hand on Remus' bony shoulder, "My, honey, you've grown too tall for your robes! Good thing you tried them on today, 've still got time to buy some new ones. I'll tell your Father when he gets back from the Ministry,"

Remus and his mother were looking fixedly into the large mirror placed on Remus' dresser. He was at least 6 feet, which could be considered quite a lot for a boy of fifteen. Sadly, he could barely sustain all this height with his slender frame and scrawny body. His remarkable hazel eyes, filled with sadness and self-loathe, analyzed his skinny self and wished he could be more like his friends, James and Sirius, who had quite normal, if not muscular physiques. His sand-coloured hair was messy and tangled, which obviously annoyed his mother as she was trying to smoothen it out.

"I swear, hon, you should take better care of your hair, you are not a small boy anymore. How would you expect girls to like you if you don't make the slightest effort?"

Remus was staring at the ground silently. He had never thought of girls, not because he didn't like them or something or sorts. It was just too much for him to handle, especially considering what _he_ was . He was incapable of comprehending how a girl would possibly like him, Remus Lupin, considering.

"It's ok, Mum, I'll sort it out," he smiled feebly, "Oh, speaking of girls, I think they will go bonkers after seeing this attached to my new robes," Remus spoke ironically, and then took his shiny Prefect badge and handed over to his Mother.

She stared at his at first, trying to figure out its meaning, mostly because she had never gone to Hogwarts, being a Muggle. Then, she let out a gasp, "Remus! You're one of those Perfect boys, aren't you honey?"

Remus chuckled, "Prefect, Mum. And yes, I've just received an owl with a letter from Professor Dumbledore, and the badge came with it," he smiled genuinely.

His mother hugged him lovingly, "Oh, honey, I am so proud of you! Wait 'till your Father hears this, he'll be over the moon!"

Remus gave his Mother a suggestive look after her comment, and went on to saying, "I thought James was going to be Prefect, but I don't mind having a little more authority over those two! Maybe this way I'll be able to make them listen to me before they end up blowing up the school, or dying all the Slytherins' hair green!"

His mother brushed his hair, "You will be amazing at it, I am absolutely positive. And I bet James and Sirius will be proud of you, too. Oh, by the way. Do you know who will be your partner?"  
"You mean the other Gryffindor prefect?" Remus responded startedly at the question. To think of it, it didn't even cross his mind. Could it be her... ? No, it couldn't be, she's to nice to be given such a position, she wouldn't have the necessary authority over notorious troublemakers and even worse, evil Dark Lord minions. "Well, could be Molly Prewett," Remus spoke evasevely, "She's not exactly the best in our class, but she is very austere, and she screams. A lot,"

His mother laughed, "What about that girl you've been talking about since you started school? The one who's as good as you are?"

Remus widened his eyes, "Lily? Lily Evans?"

Lily Evans was, undoubtedfully, the single most extraordinary person in that entire bloody school. She was, as his mother said, an excedingly bright witch, with an remarkable aptitude for Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, and almost every subject you could imagine. She was taking so many classes, you could barely see her in the Common Room or anywhere outside classrooms and the Library. But most importantly, she had a rare kindness inside of her heart, which made everything about her even more beautiful. She did not judge, did not harm and did not offend anyone. Even more, she was always helping those in need and stood up for the defenseless. He admired her so, and throughtout their years at Hogwarts, Remus had put Lily on a sort of pedestal, looking up to her in everything he did. For him she could no fail, she was flawless.

Remus focused once more on the conversation, "Umm, yes, well… She is perfect, no doubt, and top of our class to add… But I don't know, Mom, she is so gentle, I doubt she would be able to shout or punish anyone if it comes to it."

His mother giggled, "Remus, you might wear only grown-up clothes, and be the brightest wizard of your class, but you still have a lot of growing up to do. Girls can be more scary than you think, regardless of their sweet appearence,"

The young man blushed, "I did not say she was angelic or anything or sort, or ravishingly beautiful... Although she is you know! Angelic and ravishingly beautiful… But you know what I mean, Mum, I think she's too good a person to be a watchdog for all the people lurking in our school. Some of them are extremely dark and twisted,"

"Then that would make two of you. Two people who are too good, too gentle. Although I doubt the Headmaster would put you in any kind of danger or uncomfortable position, it's something to be proud of. Well, enough with this blabber, honey, we shall see the day after tomorrow who your partner will be, but I'm betting on Miss Evans," she smiled kindly.

A slight noise was coming from downstairs, and the two could hear someone climbing the stairs slowly, right up to Remus' room. The door opened again, this time with a male figure behind it.

"Father,"

Lyall Lupin was a middle-aged man, but his troubles and worries had aged his appearence, lossing almost all of his hair colour and vigour. He had a kind nature to him, althought he could lose his temper once in a while, he would never raise his voice at his son or wife. He removed his coat and kissed his wife's cheek, "Hello, darling. Remus, I see you've already started packing,"

"Yes, I'm almost done,"

"Lyall," his wife spoke, "Please take Remus tomorrow to Diagon Alley. He needs new robes, school books and I think you should buy him a present, considering,"

"Considering?" His father looked around the room and saw the letter, "Aah, I see you've received your letter, son,"

Remus nodded, "Yes, that and…" But his father cut him off with a warm hug, after reading the letter and finding out the news, "Congratulations, Remus! I cannot express properly how proud I am of you. Taking into account your condition, and everything, really, your intelligence and extraordinary nature did not fail to shine," his father smiled kindly.

"Father, I think it's a bit of an overstatement," Remus smiled modestly.

"Oh, hogwash! You deserve it, and don't you think otherwise. To think, I did not want you to go to school four years ago, I am so sorry for that, Remus," his father looked away.

"It's okay, Father, I know you're only looking after me. I told you at the start of this summer, too, I don't mind. I didn't mind moving to Surrey this summer, either, it was a pleasant experience," Remus lied.

"You don't mind anything, that's your problem. You should get angry once in a while, you know, it would be good for your health," his mother suggested.

"Hope, I think Remus is good the way he is," his father laughed, "Thought he might be better off adding a couple pounds here and there, have you been eating properly?"

"Well," Remus confessed, "I've been negligent of that lately, and I'm quite missing my chocolate,"

"Then it's settled. Tommorrow, 8 o'clock, we get up, have breakfast, and then Apparate to Diagon Alley and buy everything you need for school, and of course, a lot of chocolate! All kinds of chocolate, if you may, and maybe new dress robes. I've overhead someone talking at the office 'bout a Halloween Ball at Hogwarts."

Remus's eyes glittered, "Thank you, Father! I shall wake up by 7 then," he said as his father and mother were leaving the room, "We'll have a long day ahead of us."

"Of course, son," his father smiled kindly as he close the door.

Remus threw himself on his bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of his new year at Hogwarts. He looked out of the window beside his bed, and looked over the peaceful Muggle neighbourhood they have been living in for this summer. Since he was five, they had been moving frequently, due to his condition. He was suprised to find his father choosing Surrey as their next destination, seeing as it was packed with Muggles and be endagered by having someone like Remus around. He missed his friends dearly: James, the star of their year, a tall, handsome, athletic and exceptionally bright wizard, Sirius, a mischievious, kind-hearted, loyal friend, and the bravest man he knew, and even Peter, the plump short friend that chased James and Sirius around as if he was their pet. Remus longed for the nights they had in their bedroom, chatting the night away, talking about the latest Quidditch match, what their next prank will be, and of course, Lilly Evans (which seemed to be the only subject James payed attention to). But most of all, he needed the support he had from the three when he … _transformed_. He had become dependant on James and Sirius to keep him company and support him when he was becoming what he dreaded the most. He seemed lost without them, and his last transformation didn't go too well because of that (Remus was gently running his fingers over the new scars on his face, looking as gruesome as an Azkaban prisoner).

Finally, with his head full of thoughts, fears, and desires, he close his eyes, pulled his covers, and fell into a peaceful, quiet sleep, awaiting restlessly his day in Diagon Alley.


	2. 31st of August: Firewhisky

**A/N: So here's chapter number two. I'm still working out the format, I'm obviously not going to write about each and every day, but the beginning is quite important I think. This chapter is a bit static, I know, but I guess we needed to find out more about Remus :) So enjoy, review, follow, favourite, and the usual!**

**-S.**

_31st of August, 1975_

Lyall Lupin threw the gold in his satchel and walked slowly towards the exit door of Gringotts. He had withdrew a large sum of money, so that he could buy everything his son needed, wanted, and even dreamed of. After buying three sets of robes from Madam Malkin's, and a new pair of black shoes, Lyall's arms were barely holding everything he had purchased. He was glad that his son was able to buy whatever he wanted, since he usually doesn't like shopping, labelling it as "a result of consumerism, spreading from the Muggle economy to our economy".

"So, where should we go next?" Lyall said joyfully while his son bit a chunk of his Cadburry Milk Chocolate and savoured its rich flavour.

"Hmm, what about Flourish and Botts? I need to buy quite a number of spellbooks and manuals, being a fifth-year and all," Remus slid the rest of his chocolate in his coat and continued walking with his Father on the Alley, thinking about all the chocolate, fudge, pumpkin pie and lollies he had bought.

"Of course, books…" His father chuckled at the thought of Remus reading, absorbed in his studies as he always was, failing to notice everything around him, sometimes hiding in his room for hours with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

They walked silently towards the tall, green building, and barely entered it. It was packed with students, parents, and even teachers. The books were rapidly disappearing from their shelves into the students' arms, and soon there were no first and second year books available, causing the owner to rush upstairs and bring some more.

Remus strolled through the aisles and viewed the thousands of books he loved so much, from textbooks, to novels and adventure stories. The boy was enthralled by the smell of new parchment, the sound of pages turning, and the different coloured-books stacked on the picked up all his necessary textbooks. As he was picking up "_1000 Potions from all over the world_", he saw a flash of jet-black, messy hair running through the aisles and a heard a loud, high-pitched shout.

"James Potter!"

The woman rushed to the boy's side, and pulled his messy shirt, dragging him to the aisle they were in previously, "But Mom, I said I didn't want to take any more electives, I think eight core subjects are way too many already" the boy grovelled.

"You will never have enough subjects to choose from next year if you don't have electives!", she said sternly.

The boy wore a characteristic smirk on his face, "Well now, Mommy, let's not get ahead ourselves, shall we? Who says I'll even be able to pass my O.W.L.S.?"

His mother slammed a book on his head, "I will not hear any more of this, young man! We're going to buy this Divination book. I'll go looking for your Transfiguration text book, now you go looking for the Charms one,"

He muttered, "Yeah, yeah, will do..", as he got away from his mother, he caught the eye of a certain sandy coloured, skinny friend, "Moony? Come on here, you," James hugged Remus tightly and messed his hair afterwards, "What's up, stranger? You haven't answered my last owl, now, have you?"

Remus looked away embarrassed, "Sorry, James, I guess I've been wrapped up in the Scamander book I've been reading recently, you see," he blushed, "It's said to be the best one yet on beasts and magical creatures,"

"As expected, mate," James laughed, "So, what's new with you?"

"Well, I've just received news that I'm the Gryffindor male Prefect this year. Dumbledore sent me the letter yesterday,"

"Don't tell me it came as a surprise to you? I've betting on you with Padfoot since you received only O's in our examinations last year. That if you're not counting…"

"Care of Magical Creatures, I know," Remus chuckled, "I need to get better at that, don't I? Dad reckons I'll take N.E.W.T. classes on it, with him being in the Department and all that,"

James rubbed his chin, "We'll find you a tutor, mate, and you'll be top of our class in it in no time as well. Oy, wanna join me and Padfoot for a drink over at the Leaky Cauldron after we buy our books? He's coming here in ten minutes or so,"

Remus considered the idea, "Sounds good," he told James while wandering through the aisle, grabbing a copy of "_The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5"_, "Is he coming with his family or…?"

James sighed, "Yeah, his dreadful mother and brother," James headed towards the counter, alongside Remus, "You've got everything, Moony?"

Remus glanced at his arms, barely able to carry all of his books, and nodded, "Yes, this is about it,"

Before reaching Mr. Kettle, the shop keeper, he called his father to his side, "Father, I've got everything I need," and he showed him all of his ten or maybe fifteen books.

His father approached him and pulled out his satchel, "Well, maybe 20 Galleons will be enough, but here's 30, just to be sure," he handed Remus the gold, "Oh, hello James, didn't see you there,"

James shook Mr. Lupin's hand, "Mr. Lupin, good to see you again."

Remus and James payed for their books, and headed towards the exit, "Father, do you mind me staying with James and Sirius for a Butterbeer for a bit?"

Lyall looked over at James, "Sure, boys! I'll just go home and leave these, and then return and… ahem, wonder," Lyall avoided Remus' eyes. "Meet me inside Madam Malkin's in three hours, will you?"

Remus nodded as James grabbed his hand and rushed him in the opposite direction, "Of course, Fa-"

But he was unable to say more as James rushed him towards the Leaky Cauldron, running away carelessly as he always does, "Come on, Moony, Padfoot might be already there, you know he hates waiting,"

The two teenagers ran through the crowded alley, ocasionally hitting one or two by-passers, making Remus go "Sorry for that… excuse us…" every time someone threw them a lingering glare or let out a snort. When they finally reached the Leaky Cauldron, Remus was delighted to see that Sirius was already waiting for them.

Sirius Black was siting at a small table, surrounded by smoke and obscurity, looking outside the small, concealed window of the pub. For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old barman, who was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.

Sirius himself was smoking a cigarette, to the awe of his fellow collegues, "Oy, Prongs, Moony, care to join me?"

He looked a lot older than 15, no doubt. He was not as tall as Remus, or even James, but he was well-built and had the physique of a professional Quidditch player, even though he was quite a nightmare on a broomstick. He had long, wavy hair, that always appeared to be styled, and wore a black leather jacket, suitable to his devilish appearance. Moreover, the cigarette he was holding between his fingers added to the effect, "So I see trouble-making isn't your only bad habit, ey Padfoot?" James joked as he grabbed a seat and looked over the menu.

"What can I say, I don't exactly follow the rules, Prongs," Sirius let out a large circle of smoke and put out his cigarette, "And spare me the lecture, Moony, I know how you oppose any type of vice," Sirius grinned.

Remus laughed, "I'm not going to say anything, mate, it's all up to you. So, how've you been doing? Are thinks okay with…?"

Sirius changed his cheerful expression to a gloomy, almost annoyed one, "Man, Moony, you can be quite a buzz-kill sometimes, bringing up my family like that" he said as he called the barman, "Not good, to sum up. Been fighting with them since I've been back. I really don't know how much longer I'll be able to live in that bloody house. Mom and Reg are shopping right now, I think they prefered leaving me here"

The barman rushed to their table, "Order?"

Sirius whispered something in James' ear and spoke, "Three glasses of Firewhisky, please,"

Remus whispered, "Sirius, I don't-"

Sirius shushed him, "-and some crisps, please," The barman eyed the other two boys disturbingly, and then turn away to the bar to bring their order. James and Sirius high-fived, and Remus sighed, "Seriously, you lot, I'd reckon he's going to bring us Butterbeers either way,"

"It's worth a shot, Moony," James said as he grabbed one of Sirius' cigarettes, "There's a first time for everything, ain't it?"

As the barman was bringing them their firewhisky, and Sirius' order of crisps, the doorbell rang and Remus glanced at a mirage of red and green. Remus kept staring, "Let's drink to our fifth-year, mates, to a new adventure, and hopefully, to another three-full years of Hogwarts!" Sirius rose his glass.

"Oy, mate, what's that you're staring a-?" James stopped talking as he viewed the breathtaking girl enter the pub and walk gracefully to the bar, "She's here," James breathed as he swiftly put out his cigarette.

The girl went up to the bar, pulled out a book out of her bag, and ordered. As soon as the barman uncorked a Butterbeer, she took a small sip out of it and continued reading and making notes on the bottom of the page, looking profoundly concentrated.

"Well, well, Little Miss Perfect at the Leaky Cauldron. Who in Godric's name comes here to study, Prongs? There's something clearly wrong with her, mate," Sirius winged as he poured all of the firewhisky down his throat, "Aaah, another round, barkeep!" he shouted joyfully, as James was finishing his liquor, and Remus could barely take another sip, his throat pulsating with warmth. Remus continued drinking his beverage, during which he could not avert his look from the girl in the green sweater.

Lily Evans was a beautiful fifteen-year-old girl. She was not the fairy-tale type exactly. Contrarily, she was a natural beauty, with her long, wavy red hair falling on her shoulders, big green eyes, slim nose and kind, small mouth. But just then, she turned her eyes to their table, distracted by Sirius' shouting and demands for more firewhisky. She closed her book, grabbed her Butterbeer and walked gracefully towards them, "I see you're already having fun, Black, even though school hasn't started yet. A bit of underage drinking, I trust?" she looked demeaningly at the empty glasses, and immediately noticed James hiding the ash tray, "And smoking, that should round things up." The boys looked hesitant to say anything as she peered at them, and were surprised to hear her giggle softly, "Oh well, boys will be boys. Go on then, grab me a seat if you don't mind me interrupting!"

James rose swiftly and he rushed to the other table to borrow a chair, "Why, of course, Evans, everything you need!"

She rolled her eyes as James pulled her seat and courteously helped her with her bag, "Why thank you, Potter," she took a mouthful of Buterbeer and smiled at Remus, causing him to blush heavily and look away.

Sirius grabbed his pack, gestured to Lily if she minds, and lit another cigarette, "So, Evans, I trust you're all set for tomorrow," Sirius said.

"I've bought everything, if that's what you're asking, I just need to stop by Madam Malkin's. Mum's in London with Tuney, buying her clothes," she snorted.

"If you can't return home safely, you are always welcome to sleep at my place," James smirked, "Mind you, we don't have an extra bed, but mine is big enough for us both,"

"In your dreams, Potter," she laughed, "I'm quite fine, don't you worry, I'm meeting Mum soon,"

She pulled out her book again, and finished the notes she was making on the Ascendio spell, "What classes are you taking this year?"

James snorted, "As you know, I could be taking all of them, but I chose a distinct few that will enable my evolution as an Auror,"

"I'm taking all the usual, plus Care of Magical Creatures. Don't want to have busy schedule, I'll be skipping half of these classes anyway!" Sirius laughed as he drank more firewhisky.

Lily laughed, "What about you, Remus?"

He choked on his whisky, making the blokes laugh, and looked up at Lily, trying to find his words, "W-Well, you know… All the core subjects, plus Arithmancy, Runes, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures,"

Lily drank her Butterbeer and mumbled something excitedly, "That's what I'm taking too! Good to see I'll have a partner for Runes, almost nobody signed up for it,"

Sirius snorted, "Yeah, I wonder why,"

Lily glared, "Excuse me, the Study of Ancient Runes is a fascinating subject! Isn't it, Remus?"

Remus nodded, "Y-Yes, it is." He thought of what his mother told him last night, and wondered if he could ask Lily, but dismissed the thought, knowing he will find out eventually.

"Almost forgot," said Lily, searching something inside her bag, "Look, guys!" she was holding a small red badge with a golden "P" engraved. "I'm a Prefect, which means you'll have to be on your best behaviour near me,"

Remus opened his eyes, amazed, "Good one, Evans," James said as he grabbed Remus' hand and lifted it up in the air, "and here's your partner,"

Lily beamed at him, "Congratulations, Remus! Or should I say, _partner_? I couldn't have asked for a better fellow Prefect, no doubt! I was hoping Dumbledore will name you,"

"_S-she was hoping it would be me?"_ Remus asked himself, while looking at Lily's delicate hands caressing the badge, "Thank you, Lily," he let out, "and good job as well,"

Sirius snorted, "Why am I the last one you update, Moony? Howbeit, let's toast to this as well. Barman!"

The other three sighed, "Oh, not again,"

* * *

The four of them were standing outside the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for the Blacks and James' mum, "Well, I guess I'll leave before my delight of a Mother and Regulus the Twat corrupt you with their opulence," Sirius said as he was zipping his leather jacket, "See you tomorrow, Prongs, Moony. Evans," he winked at the girl.

"Goodbye,"

After James' mother picked him up, asking if he had been smoking, Remus turned to Lily, "You said you'd be going to Madam Malkin's? I wonder, would you care to-?"

"Join you? I'd love to, Remus, sure!"

The two walked awkwardly on Diagon Alley, and Remus could see people throwing them stares and smirks, but Lily could not be more oblivious to her surroundings. She was humming a Muggle tune, skipping absent-mindedly in her tall riding boots.

Lily looked at Remus and added, "You've sure grown over the summer, haven't you? And your hair looks a bit rebelious now," she giggled.

"Five inches, in fact," Remus fiddled with his hair, "I've considered having it cut, but it just doesn't stay the way it's supposed to stay if it's too short, and Muggle barbers are disastrous, you know, in Surrey... "

Lily greeted a tall blonde girl briefly, "I didn't say I don't like your hair," she smirked, "Just mentioned you look… _different_,"

"Do you want to buy anything?" Remus asked her as he opened the door for her, "I'm meeting my Father here,"

Lily rushed to the new dress robe collection, "Have you heard about it? The Halloween Ball?" she was analyzing a turquoise sequin dress, "This is a bit short now, isn't it?"

"Mother mentioned something about it, I think," Remus agreed with Lily, not being completely capable of understanding girls who wear dresses as skimpy and shiny as this, "Not exactly my scene, a ball,"

Lily continued browsing, "Don't say that, Remus. I bet you'll enjoy yourself, if you decide to go, of course,"

"Remus,"

His father reached him and looked curiously at Lily, "Hello, Father," Remus said, "This is my classmate, Lily Evans. For your information, she's the _other _Prefect"

Lily shook Mr. Lupin's hand and said a pleasant "Nice to meet you," and Mr. Lupin smiled at her kindly, "Hello, Miss Evans, Lyall Lupin. Excited to meet you at last," he looked at his son, having a slight pink colour on his cheeks.

"So, shall we?" Mr. Lupin asked Remus, "Oh, sure," Remus said as he looked at Lily, "Excuse us, Lily, we are heading home. I trust you will have no difficulties finding your Mother,"

Lily laughed, "Sure, Remus, I'll have no _difficulties_," she said while holding a long, emerald robe, "See you tomorrow at half past ten,"

Remus waved as he was leaving the shop, "See you…"

* * *

Remus finished packing his books and he took another glance at his badge, "_I'm going to give my best this year. I will make Mum and Father proud, won't make Dumbledore regret his choice,"_ he told himself as he closed his trunk and put in the corner of the room. A clean, ironed set of clothes was sitting on his arm chair, as well as his new robes, with beautiful details of red and gold. Even though his clothes were very classy and well-kept, they always ended up looking raggedy and messy on him.

He got up and looked at himself in the mirror, again. His scars were still hidden by the band-aids he wore to Diagon Alley, pretending to have cut himself while shaving (as if he had any facial hair). He tore off the band-aids, and revealed his wounds. They were still pink, and were not very pleasant to look at. Sure, he had other scars as well, but they were smaller and people got used to them. This one covered almost all of his face, and was almost two inches wide. He cringed and felt embarrassed of his exterior.

He felt pain, real pain. He could not stand to look at the mirror much longer, because all that he could see was a monster, a monster trapped inside a frail body, a body that could not resist any more attacks. His back was covered in old scars, as well as his chest, shoulders, and right leg. He looked like a human patchwork doll, and his pale, almost sickly complexion did not help him conceal his imperfections.

"Remus, son?"

His father was standing in the doorstep, waiting to be invited inside, "May I?"

Remus nodded as blinked rapidly to keep tears from falling, "Of course, come in, Father,"

Remus sat on his bed, and hesitantly, his Father joined him. He knew he had been staring at his new scar, the one on his face. Those were the worst, Lyall thought. Not only because they were the most visible, obvious one. Because they had the biggest impact on him, because they did damage far beyond his skin.

"You don't have to be ashamed, son. It's just a scar, it does not change who you are. And if you're worrying others will find out-"

"What if they will, Father? What happens then?" Remus raised his voice, "What happens if I do something wrong, or say the wrong thing, or people just make a pattern out of my obvious disappearences, the infinte number of scars, and the montly bed rests?"

"Dumbledore promised us, he promised us you will be safe, that nobody would try to-"

"I am safe, Father, Dumbledore has made too many efforts to assure that. I have the Shrieking Shack, Madam Pomfrey helping me with the potion… he even planted the Womping Willow to scare other students away the night of my transformations! But what about the others?" Remus let out a cry, "What about other students, and my-my friends? What if I hurt them…?"

His father stared at him, "T-That won't happen, Remus, you are being careful. When it comes to your friends, they know everything already, and it was their own decision, they know the risks. Dumbledore has taken certain measures to protect the others, as well, you've said so yourself"

Remus punched his bed, "I...I think people have started to figure it out. I see Severus Snape's look when I return to class after a day of absence… He knows, Father, or at least he _thinks_ he knows something… "

"And what can he do, this Snape person?" his Father snapped.

"He could tell everyone, Father, _everyone_! What would the parents say if they knew their children are living, eating, studying, sleeping next to a _werewolf?_!"

His Father grabbed his hand, "Now, listen to me, son! You have done nothing wrong, and will not do anything wrong any time soon! You have Dumbledore, McGonagall and other members of the staff keeping your secret, helping you live a more or less normal life. You have James and Sirius as well! Your _friends_! You are not alone in this, and no one will find out. No one you don't _want _finding out, you understand?"

Remus looked at his Father and nodded, "Good," Lyall said as he sighed and patted his son's back.

"I'm sorry for the sudden outburst of unresolved angst," Remus tried to defuse the tension, "It will only get better, hopefully, with Sirius and James helping me," he looked at his Father and tried to fake a smile.

"I know it's tough, son, and I that you don't want to be troublesome, I get that. But people want to help you, they're not doing it out of obligation. So please, just focus on your studies, and more importantly…"

Remus looked at his Father, engrossed in his words, "On what?", his Father smiled kindly, "Have fun, Remus. Have fun, I beg of you. Join James and Sirius in one of their pranks, skip a class, stay up after Gryffindor wins a Quidditch match, try to sneak Firewhisky into the Common Room, and then lie to McGonagall about it, _kiss a girl_ after curfew in an empty classroom…"

Remus reddened at the thought, "Sneaking Firewhisky? Father, forgetting my age already, are we?" he laughed.

Lyall grinned, "If your Mother asks, I did not say anything. Anyway, you won't be getting drunk to soon, or causing problems, the way I see it,"

Remus smiled, "You know me well, Father," Lyall got up and layed his hands on Remus' shoulders, "Good night, Remus. See you for breakfast,"

"Goodnight, Father,"

Lyall turned off the lights and started closing the door, but stopped half-way to add, "Oh, and son … Keep your friends close,"


	3. 1st of September : Friends

_A/N: _**Hello, dear readers (if you exist) :) ! I found this particularly hard to write, because I didn't want the plot to advance _too_ much, and I didn't want to make Lily to mean towards James, since Remus has a very good opinion of her. Well, I hope you enjoy this one, and please review, follow and favourite :3 these things are the bread and butter of a fanfic writer. Also, I want to hear your opinion on the characters. What do you think of them? **

** -S.**

* * *

_1st of September, Hogwarts Express_

Remus was glad his robes weren't too short for him this time, and attached his Prefect badge to his collar. He wore the clothes he had laid out the night before, his Oxford shirt, v-neck sweater vest and black pants. He was changing in the Prefect compartment, alongside Amos Diggory, the Hufflepuff Prefect, and Lucius Malfoy from Slytherin. Remus dreaded tying his tie, as he found himself unable to make it look presentable, and would only end up looking messy and not quite right.

Amos Diggory was very smug, obviously. Not that he was a bad guy or anything, it's just that he had a certain unnecessary pride that annoyed Remus a bit. He was almost as tall as Remus, and rather round around the middle, with an almost goofy face and greyish hair. Lucius Malfoy, on the other hand, was not someone Remus wanted to mess with. Probably his last name made it clear enough. It is often said of the Malfoy family that you will never find one at the scene of the crime, though their fingerprints might be all over the guilty wand. Independently wealthy, with no need to work for a living, they have generally preferred the role of power behind the throne, happy for others to do the donkey work and to take the responsibility for failure. And Lucius was certainly living up to the family name, being surrounded by a pack of loyal Slytherins to terrorise whomever Lucius ordered them to.

"Oy, have you blokes changed yet? We don't want to see your knickers," a high-pitched voice came from outside the compartment, followed by giggles.

Amos flipped his hair and smirked, "Very funny, Alice," he opened the door and allowed the other female Prefects to join them, "Come in, ladies,"

The four female Prefects were mainly different, but all of them had perfect uniforms and a very well-kept attire. The first one to enter was Alice Longbottom, a Hufflepuff. She was a funny, short, tomboy-ish girl with a chestnut pixie cut. After her came Matilda Crossgrove, the Ravenclaw Prefect. Remus had never saw the girl smile or laugh, as she was always austere and cold. The Slytherin Prefect, Narcissa Black, Sirius' cousin, was indeed beautiful, with her long, blonde hair and slender figure. According to Sirius, she was one of the few Blacks who was "remotely human".

"Hey, stranger, saved me a seat?"

The last one to come in, Lily Evans, quickly placed herself next to Remus and smiled to everyone, greeting her peers. Her new robes and burgundy sweater vest complimented her greatly, and Remus could notice the small lilies embroidered on her sleeves. Her long, red hair fell into a ponytail and as she gestured while talking, her fragrance filled the air. Remus could sense a very delicate perfume, one that would make him think of jasmine and musk-

"Remus?" Lily asked him as he spaced out, "I said, do you want me to help you with your tie?"

Remus looked at his tie, "Oh, bloody hell, forgot to tie it," he rushed to it, but once again, created a half-knot.

Lily laughed and grabbed the end of his tie, "Let me do it, jeez. You boys and your inability to dress yourselves,"

Remus was staring at Lily while she was slowly running her fingers through the soft fabric of his tie, making precise movements to create the perfect knot, "Here you go," she said as she let go of this neck, "This knot is called a Windsor, my Dad taught me how to do it,"

Remus looked at his elegant knot, complimenting his white shirt and grey sweater vest, "Thanks, Lily,"

Before he could speak anymore, the Heads joined them in the compartment and held their annual speech. Remus was paying attention to every word they said, and even made notes to remember what his duties were. Briefly, he was supposed to take House points away from students who break school rules, and even give detention to those committing more serious offences. Once a month, he would patrol the corridors after curfew to secure the school and catch late-night snoggers, alongside the other House Prefect, and then report his findings to the Head of the House, in his case, to Professor McGonagall. The Head Boy and Girl suggested that they don't omit their friends' wrong-doings, even if it might be awkward to punish your own mates. Remus felt as if this comment was directed at him, but he didn't say anything. They went on to speak about their duties regarding arrivals, showing first years to their dormitories and classrooms, and more urgently, giving their first assignment. The Prefects were to patrol the corridors and check every compartment to see if every one is dressed and ready by the time they reach Hogsmeade.

"We'll be waiting in the compartment," said the Head Girl, "Just make a few rounds, check if everyone's okay, and come back. There's no need to spend all of the journey running around,"

The Head Boy wished them good luck as they exited the compartment and headed in different directions. Remus and Lily headed towards the north end of the train, wanting to check in on their Gryffindor friends.

"So," Lily said as she looked at a compartment filled with second years, "Do you think you'll be the one to put Potter and Black in detention?"

Remus smiled, "I think you'll have to help me with this. You see, they don't exactly think of me as a … figure of authority. If they did, I assure you, they wouldn't have caused so many trouble,"

Lily waved hello to some of her friends standing inside a compartment, refusing their invitation to join them, "Don't you worry about that. I might not look like it, but I can be quite scary,"

"I know, I've seen you shout at James," Lily 's smile faded as the words slipped from his mouth,"S-sorry!" Remus stuttered, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything-"

"You weren't," she hesitated, "It's just, you know… I_ hate_ people who pick on those weaker than them, and behave as if they could have anything they desire, as if they're entitled to everything,"

Remus thought _hate_ was quite a strong word, "W-well, you know James is just a bit spoiled, he's not a bad person-"

Lily faked a smile, "It's okay, Remus, you don't have to defend him," she said as she fixed her robe, "Oh, and by the way. Stop apologising to me all the time. We've known each other for five years, you ought to be more casual around me, don't you think?" she giggled.

Remus realised they had been acquainted for quite a long time, but they were never exactly _clos_e. Sure, they got along, but they wouldn't talk on a daily basis, or share deep secrets, or do things _friends_ usually do. He could best describe her as… a person he _respected_ greatly. Yes, that sounded quite right.

"All...right," he answered her as they reached the last compartment, "Looks like they're in this one,"

Lily opened the door and was greeted by James, Sirius and Peter Pettigrew. James was sitting with his feet on the couch, his shirt unbuttoned and his tie thrown casually around his neck, unlike Remus'. Sirius was not even wearing his uniform yet, and was trying to hex the ring he stole from his brother. Peter was looking closely at Sirius' wand work, fascinated by his incantations.

"You have one hour to get yourselves dressed and ready. I expect you to be presentable when we reach Hogsmeade," Lily said seriously, throwing James glares.

James fixed his crooked glasses, "Little Miss Perfect Evans," he snorted, "What makes you think I'll do what you say?"

Lily pointed to her badge, " This little thing, Potter," she smirked, "Now, I expect to follow the rules from now on, our last Gryffindor Prefects were too nice, but I'm not going to overlook your wrong-doings,"

Sirius laughed, "Too bad you've got Moony as your partner, Evans, he won't rat out a fellow Marauder even if his life depended on it!"

"Blimey, Black, you're serious about the silliest things," Lily took Remus' hand and lead him outside the compartment, "Besides, Remus is not just your friend, he is also a Prefect now!"

Sirius threw James a questioning look and James raised his shoulders, "Oy, Moony," Sirius called him, "Grab a seat, mate, leave Miss Goody-Two-Shoes to patrol the halls alone,"

Remus looked at them apologetically while Lily looked at him, "Sorry mates, I've really got to do this. I'll see you lot at dinner, ok?"

Lily puffed and marched forward, "I think we're done with this side of the train. Should we check the south side as well?"

"I don't think there's any point in doing so," Remus thought, "The others are checking that side, let's just go back and relax,"

Lily and Remus headed back to the Prefects' compartment without talking anymore. When they finally sat down, Lily let a sigh out and untied her hair.

"They're not that bad," Remus said as he pulled out some chocolate and offered it to Lily, "They just think that girls fancy boys who behave as they're trying to,"

Lily snorted, "Bollocks," she took a big bite out of her piece of chocolate, "I mean I get it, Black is sort of barmy, since his family is messed up and all, Pettigrew is just their lackey, following them around and doing whatever they're doing, but what's Potter's excuse?"

Remus felt a bit surprised of Lily's aversion towards James, and even a bit annoyed by her aggressive opinion. This was not the Lily Evans he knew. _That_ Lily Evans would never judge or accuse anyone of being a certain way without knowing the person very well.

"Excuse me if I offend you, but I think you're making an opinion of him without having the necessary information. Granted, he's my mate and all, but you don't know anything about him other than what he chose to show or tell you. So I would refrain from making any more assumptions if I were you," he said very seriously.

Lily was staring at him quietly, as if she was waiting for him to blow a fuse. Remus felt almost sorry for his reply, even if he was right to defend his friend in this situation. Especially because James cared about Lily's opinion greatly. He looked at Lily as she stared into her lap and fiddled with her robes, "I'm sorry for badmouthing your friend, I didn't actually _mean_ what I was saying, I was blabbering,"

Remus felt guilty of turning her face red and making her flustered, "I wasn't trying to attack you or-"

"No," she shook her head, "You were right, I don't actually know Potter _that_ well, and I … I trust you," she said while looking into Remus' eyes.

Remus stared at her hair to avoid looking into her emerald eyes, "R-Really? You trust me?"

Lily smiled as Remus threw another piece of chocolate into his mouth, "Yes, I value your opinion. You're smart, kind," he didn't know how to react to unexpected compliments, and just kept staring anywhere else than at Lily, ",and a very loyal friend. Ever since I was sorted into Gryffindor, I have been paying attention to you. I saw you struggle the first two years, when you had no friends, when no one knew how amazing you were. You looked so lonely back then. Even know… when they're not around, your eyes… they're filled with sadness,"

Remus didn't know how to answer to all of this. He didn't understand why she was telling him all these things all of the sudden, and couldn't believe Lily Evans had watched him ever since the beginning, "I'm not very good at making friends," he tried to change the subject, "But you know, James and Sirius have great social skills, and they sort of took me under their wing, taught me all the bad things I know," Lily laughed, "Lily?" he looked at her, wanting to ask her why she was telling him this now.

"Yes, Remus?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure-"

They were interrupted by the other six Prefects and the Heads coming in the compartment and talking about first years, OWLs, and what they were going to do on their Hogsmeade weekends. Lily felt relieved and joined in the conversation, while Remus tried to avoid Lucius' stare and watched as they passed by the river, birds flying above it. They were almost there.

* * *

_Great Hall_

After the Sorting Ceremony and Dumbledore's speech, the tables were filled with delicious food and any beverage you could ask for (except for firewhisky, obviously). Sirius filled his plate rapidly, and started eating hungrily, "Definitely having seconds," he said as he shove food down his throat.

"Moony," James looked at Remus while he was putting some rice on his plate, "What did you talk with Evans about?"

Remus' eyes widened, "Nothing, really," he stopped to eat some more turkey, "The usual, school, OWLs, you lot-"

"Really?" James raised from his seat and looked closely at Remus, "Did she ask about me?"

Remus thought of the proper way to say it, "W-well, she didn't exactly ask about you… she was actually asking me about your..._excuse_,"

"My _excuse_?"

"Y-yeah… she wanted to know what's your excuse for… behaving the way you do," Remus looked at his plate and grabbed a mouthful of peas.

"How do I behave?" James' eyes narrowed, "Padfoot, is there something wrong with my behaviour?"

"Mnoo, mate," he spoke with his mouth full, and Peter nodded in approval to Sirius' words.

"See? I'm not doing anything wrong, Moony. Why doesn't she like me then?

Remus poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice, "She seems to think you're a conceited, arrogant bully,"

"_Arrogant_? I'm not arrogant, I am just aware of my qualities! It's not a bad thing to be proud of yourself, you know, being too modest doesn't do anyone good! And a bully," he snorted, "Who do I bully, Moon-?"

"Severus Snape," Remus cut him, "You always pick on him, admit it, James. I'm not saying she was right about everything, but you should stop making fun of him,"

James smirked, "Snivellus? Be serious, Moony, he's an abysmal idiot! You've seen him, he's always muttering something when we pass him in the hallways, always lurking in dark corners, thinking of who will he poison next with his little chemistry set. He's a stupid Slytherin,"

Sirius shoved a big piece of pork into his mouth, "And a slimy grease-ball,"

Remus thew Sirius a stinging glare, "I like him as much as you do, but you're not going to solve anything by hexing him anytime you have the chance," Remus tried to look seriously at James, "Plus, he's Lily's friend,"

James rolled his eyes, "Of course, what could've made it even harder to get to her? Why couldn't she be friends with Padfoot? Or Wormtail? Or even better, you? You'd be able to talk her into going out with me, if that were the case,"

_"Shut up, shut up!"_ Remus thought to himself, _"Maybe he won't figure it out!"_ James stared quizzically at his goblet and then his face lit up. _"Oh, bloody hell,"_ Remus thought.

"_If that were the case_...I got it!" James almost jumped with joy while Remus felt like he wanted to hide, "You two get along, right, Moony?"

Remus nodded hesitantly, knowing what he was getting into, "You'll make _friends_ with her for me, won't you? And tell her how great, smart, athletic, ,sizzling-hot-without-a-shirt I am? Pleaseeee, Moony, please, please, please!"

Remus knew he could not resist James' constant begging, so he finally caved in, "Okay, okay! I'll do it, Jesus, just stop begging me!"

James hugged Remus tightly and messed his hair, "I love you so much, Moony! You are the kindest wizard in the whole wide world. If it weren't for _Evans_… I would've made you my bride already,"

Sirius laughed loudly, "You're off your trolley, Prongs. What's the deal with Evans, anyway? Sure, she's a fit bird and all-"

"Don't talk about her as if she were some slaggy chick you would snog on the third floor corridor!" James defended his maiden's honour, "She is perfect, that Evans. Gorgeous skin, perfect hair, eyes to die for… and she makes you feel like… you know, as if-"

"As if you're the only one who's important in the room?" Remus spoke before he could think, "I-I mean, she's a very kind person, yes, very kind,"

James threw Remus a suspicious look, "Yeah, wh-what Moony said. She's special, Padfoot,"

Sirius smirked and looked suggestively at James, "I'll tell ye what's so damn special about her. Her tight little arse-"

James hit Sirius in the head with his new copy of _Quidditch Weekly_, and puffed, "Hmphf, you're just jealous,"

"Jealous of what, Prongs?" Sirius snickered, "The way I see it, _Moony'_s the only one of us who can actually manage to talk to her without getting hit in the head of hexed,"

Remus blushed, "And that's exactly why _Moony_ will put in a good word for me, won't you, Moony?" James put his hands over Remus' shoulders.

"S-Sure thing, b-buddy," he said as he grabbed one more piece of home-made chocolate.

* * *

_5th year Boys Dormitory_

Remus sat on his bed in his stryped pajamas and stared at the ceiling. He ruffled his long, soft, sand-coloured hair as he thought about their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year, how was he going to pass Care for Magical Creatures, and most importantly, he was thinking of James' request. He could never refuse his friend, especially when he knew how much he liked Lily and how hard it was for him to get her to talk to him, but still… Remus felt as if he would betray Lily's trust by doing such a thing behind her back, especially if they were to be friends.

He got up his bed and sat by the window, looking at the waxing crescent moon. It was hard to believe how a thing so beautiful and misterious could make Remus suffer so much. Could make him doubt he was even human, even when he wasn't transformed. Staring at the moon would even make his facial scars hurt, and he would cringe when it caught his eye.

"Are you awake, mate?"

James ran his hand through his hair and stared at Remus with a brooding expression in his chesnut eyes. Remus nodded, and James sat next to him by the window, "Something's bothering you,"

Remus evaded James' question look, "James.. You _really_ like Lily Evans, don't you?" James widened his eyes and looked at his fluffy red socks, "Mhm, mate," James smiled, "I wouldn't be asking you to do this for me if I didn't really _really_ like her, you know that, right Moony?"

Remus looked at his friend's grateful expression, and smiled compassionately, "I know, I know,"

"Was it painful?" James looked at Remus' scars, "You know, this month… was it worse than it normally is?"

"I didn't feel a thing," Remus lied to reassure James. He didn't want him worry about him anymore, although he had already saw the new scars on his face. Truth be told, it hurt. It felt like his flesh was ripping from his bones and acid was dropped on his muscles. It felt as if his eyeballs were catching fire, and his lungs suddenly emptied, suffocating. When his transformation was complete, he could not remember his identity, his friends, his family. All of his memories were gone. Without the Wolfsbane Potion, Remus was hopeless. He would transform into a mindless, repulsive beast, and without his friends keeping him company, he would rip himself apart, causing damage to his human body as well. It _fucking_ hurt. But James didn't have to know that. No one had to know that.

"I'm sorry we weren't there to help you out. I can almost maintain my Animagus form for three hours. I've been training at home, after Mum and Dad fall asleep,"

"You don't have to do this, James, you know that. Not you, not Sirius, not even Peter… it's dangerous, and I don't want to be the one to hurt my friends,"

James raised his voice slightly, but not enough to wake up the others, "Remus?" he called him by his real name, got up, and brought him his treasured collection of photos, "Do you remember when we took this photo?"

The two of them looked slightly younger. They were swimming in a lake, which happened to be close to where Remus lived last year, somewhere near Cardiff. The two of them looked extremely happy, splashing water everywhere, and for just a second, Remus looked like a completely different person. There were no shadows under his eyes, he wasn't supporting a gloomy expression, his skinniness wasn't so obvious, and he seemed… genuinely cheerful.

Remus looked at James surprised, "How could I forget? You ran away after a fight with your Mum and took the Knight Bus to my place. You were so silly back then, James,"

James laughed, "_Silly_? She threatened she would could my hair in my sleep! She said it was too long, made me look like a girl,"

Remus let out a soft laugh, "You ended up cutting it the next day anyway, remember? Said it damaged _your coolness_. She knew were you were the whole time, you know? My Mum called her the minute you showed up at our doorstep. Poor woman, your Mum. She's a very kind mother,"

James rolled his eyes, "Pish posh," he browsed at the photos in his precious album, "Every picture in here, every one of 'em, reminds me of how many moments we have spent together. The four of us. And you're the one who truly gets me. Sure, I may spend more time with Padfoot, but I think you - _mind me if I'm being sentimental_ \- bring out the best in me,"

Remus looked at him befuddled, "James…"

"Friends _protect_ each other, Moony. Just like you protect me from becoming a total arse, and screwing any chance I might have with Lily at the moment, or keep me from failing my O.W.L.S., I protect you from ….well, from _yourself _I guess,"

Remus nodded and James placed his hands on Remus' shoulders, "That's the least I can do, mate," James told his friend.

Remus patted James on the shoulders and went to his bed, "Thank you. I mean it, James,"

James pulled the covers and wrapped his blanket around him, "Mmm, let's sleep, Moony. We've got a hell of a year ahead of us, and quoting Professor Dawlish here, I do not foresee sleep in our futures,"

Remus laughed at the thought of their Divination teacher, "Agreed, mate,"


	4. 1st of October : Bets & Debts

_**A/N: Here-ye, here-ye! Chapter number four is out! I think the plot is evolving at a steady pace, I don't want to jump too quickly into new complications. As you can see, this chapter starts on the 1st of October, and I will occasionally skip some days to keep stuff interesting. I hope you'll like this one, and review it to make my content better in the future.**_

_**Stuff I listened to while writing this chapter: **_

_**Passenger - "Whispers" Album **_

_**and Passenger - "And I Love Her" (it was released on the 3rd of February on their YouTube channel) **_

_**So if you're into listening to music while reading, this is quite a nice selection, even if the story is not romantic (yet ^.^). So please, review, follow, favourite, and enjoy!**_

_ **\- S. **_

* * *

_1st of October, 5th year boys Dormitory, 8 AM_

It didn't seem as if an entire month has passed by since Remus had returned to Hogwarts. He reckoned it was his busy schedule that made the time pass by so quickly. On a typical week day, he would have at least eight hours of class, with a short lunch break. He would barely reach the Great Hall on some busy days, so his malnourishment continued to intensify, which was a whole new thing to worry about. His friends were so worried that they would bring him food while he was in classes they weren't in, so that he wouldn't faint during class. The workload was unimaginable. Just for this weekend, McGonagall gave them twenty inches of parchment on the Vanishing Spell, Flitwick made them practice Colour Charms and write down their observations, Binns assigned them a 500-page book entitled "_Goblins and Werewolves : Unlikely Allies", _and their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Miss Spinnet, asked them to make up a list of all Defensive Spells, in order of effectiveness. And he didn't even receive his assignments from all of his elective classes yet (all three of them). He was starting to regret taking up Care of Magical Creatures this year as well, even if his Father worked in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry.

If that hadn't been enough to worry about, the Halloween Ball was almost there and it seemed you were required to bring a date (not officially, but Remus figured it was a non-optional social convention).

"Lily's going to say _yes_ this time, Padfoot, I'm sure of it!" James said as he ruffled his hair even more instead of making it stay put, "You know what they say… _twenty-third time_'s a charm!"

Sirius laughed as he threw a small ball into the air, lying in his bed, "I think her answer was quite clear, Prongs,"

James loosened his tie and took his shirt out of his trousers, "For your information, I have made tremendous progress. Yesterday, she told me "I'll go out with you _when pigs fly!_", so I'd shut up if I were you, Padfoot,"

Remus threw Sirius a confused look, "Um, James, I'm sorry to put it out, but I don't see how that could be considered as _progress_,"

James snorted, "Last week she told me she'd _never_ go out with me, fellows! You see, Moony, it's all about the words, all about the words. Girls are very sneaky, they'd never admit they like you,"

Peter nodded, "You know so much about girls, James, how's that?"

James smirked, "Well, young Wormtail, I have had _many_ women in my life. Some extremely beautiful, others remarkably smart… and others had _really_ great arses, but nonetheless - many women indeed,"

Sirius snorted and whispered to Remus, "He actually thinks we're going to buy this," Peter shushed Sirius and pointed to James, "He's saying something important!" he added.

"But none, oh not a single one, my friends, was as beautiful or smart-"

"-or had _such_ an arse," Sirius laughed, and James threw a book in his face, "-as Lily Evans," James continued, Sirius cursing in the back, "Lily Evans is like… like the final piece to a puzzle. Or the Nimbus 75 to my broom collection. She is the one that always gets away, but the one I ultimately have to have,"

"But-but, James, how are you going to get Lily to like you?" Peter asked curiously.

"My young apprentice, my experience will guide me. The knowledge I have acquired through my extensive research has now prepared me for this challenge. For the challenge that is … Lily Evans,"

Sirius puffed, "If you count snogging Lizzie Higgings and going out _once_ with my cousin to Hogsmeade as extensive research, I'd bet you're not going to get Lily too soon,"

Peter gasped, "You went out with _Narcissa_?"

"_He_ wished," Sirius grabbed a bag of crisps from underneath his bed, "He went out with _Eleanor_,"

Peter grimaned, "The large 7th year from Slytherin? Eww, she's stronger that most of the guys in her year, and scarier,"

Remus laughed, "Well, probably that's why James agreed to go out with her,"

James dismissed his friends' comments, "Now, whatever it might comprise, experience is experience. I shall make Lily go out with me. Better yet, I'll bet you on it, Padfoot!"

Sirius laughed, "Oh, really? Let me set the price then. If you fail to get Lily to go out with you at the Halloween Ball, you'll have to spend an entire week at the Black Holiday Home; but if you win - I'll be your personal slave for the entire year,"

James widened his eyes, "Personal slave? What's that?"

"Basically, I'll do whatever you have to and don't want to do. Homework, cleaning up, all that jazz,"

James snickered, "I'm getting off easy this time," Sirius chuckled, "Hm, believe me, you're not,"

Sirius packed his bag and looked at the clock. He shoved his Care for Magical Creatures book in the black leather bag and put on his black casual robes. He looked at the mirror and tied his long, wavy hair into a ponytail, and grabbed Peter, who was already dressed and ready to go, "Well mates, we're going to stop by the Great Hall before going to the grounds, Peter here wants some more food," Peter giggled bashfully and followed Sirius out of their dorm room, "See you in class,"

James waved the two goodbye and jumped on Remus' bed, "So, Moony, my dear friend, my amazing, intellectual brother,"

Remus threw James a suggestive look, "What is it that you want, James?"

"You know that thing I asked you to do a month ago? I want a report," he smirked and grabbed Remus' shoulders.

Remus sighed. For the last month, he had been spending half of his time with Lily Evans. They were partners in Ancient Runes, so they had to do some of their assignments together, they had weekly Prefect Meetings, and they also had dinner together, since both of them finished classes late. Lily was a real chatterbox sometimes, but Remus liked that about her, actually. It meant he could shut up for most of the conversation and just listen, which was his favourite thing to do.

"She's _sort of almost_ considering going to Hogsmeade with us this weekend," Remus recalled a conversation they had this week, "I've been trying to make you look good, James, honestly, but you haven't been too helpful,"

"What do you mean?" James said defensively, "What did I do this time?"

"You've been in detention twice already, you've make Snape's cauldron explode during Potions-"

"Yeah, that was wicked," James snickered, but Remus glared at him, "And not to mention you've been bombarding Lily with your questions and pleas. She's really cross with you, mate,"

"How is she going to agree going out with me if she doesn't know my intentions?" James crossed his arms.

"Mate, I think the _entire_ school knows of your intentions," Remus added, "Look, I'll try to make her go out with us this weekend. Just as something platonic, you know. Oh, and a piece of advice,"

James looked at Remus surprised, "Sure, Moony, shoot,"

"Show more of _James_, and less of _Prongs_,"

* * *

_Hogwarts Grounds, Care for Magical Creatures Class, 9 AM_

Professor Plank had their first pop quiz in her hands, handing them over to the students. James and Sirius were excited to get E's, and Peter barely scrapped an A, but Remus wasn't as fortunate as his friends. He had received his first P ever since he had been attending Hogwarts. His grades were only E's and O's, and he usually got A's in Care for Magical Creatures.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin," Mrs. Plank said, "The written part was fine, I didn't cut points for that. Your practical test was.. well, let's say you're not exactly comfortable around animals,"

Remus sighed and grabbed his quiz paper. James and Sirius tried to comfort him, saying it was only an initial evaluation, and it wouldn't affect his O.W.L.S., but Remus was starting to get worried.

After class was over, all of the students headed to the castle to continue with their classes. James, Sirius and Peter had a free period, and decided to spend it outside on the grounds by the lake. Remus grabbed his bag and started to walk towards the building for this Ancient Runes course. As he was passing by the First Floor Corridor, a friendly, delicate hand touched his shoulder, "Hey, stranger,"

Remus turned around and saw Lily Evans, who was now wearing her hair in a long, wavy ponytail, "Hey, Lily. Going to Ancient Runes as well?"

She nodded and showed him her quiz paper, "I've got only an E this time. I guess she deducted points for getting your robes burned by the Fire Crabs," she giggled, and stopped laughing when she saw Remus' stern face, "What's wrong, Remus?"

"I got a… P" he said silently, "I didn't pass this test, Lily,"

"How's that even possible, Remus? You're the best in our class," she said as he was staring at the ground, "I'm sorry to hear that… But you know, if you want some help, you know, with the, uhm, studying," she averted his look, "I can show you how to get close to creatures,"

Remus looked at her surprised, "Really? Would you do that for me?"

Lily nodded, "Sure, what are friends for? I can help you on weekends, Saturday and Sunday night, if you're free. We can ask Hagrid to help us get to the grounds, and there I can help you practice for the practical exams,"

Remus beamed at the thought, "Thank you so much, Lily! I am truly grateful for this. I am in your debt,"

Lily smirked, "Well, I know how you can repay that debt. Buy me a Butterbeer from Three Broomsticks. Saturday, before we go to the grounds. You were saying something about Hogsmeade, if I remember correctly,"

Remus nodded and smiled, "Will do,"

* * *

_Great Hall, Dinner, 8 PM_

"Hmm… How do you translate this?" Lily looked at Remus' paper as they were having dinner. She was eating some chicken with rice and Remus tried to eat something consistent as well, even if he just wanted to eat some pumpkin pie and go take a bath in the Prefects' Bathroom.

"Look, here's how you do it," he pointed to his paper as he grabbed some potatoes from the platter, "I really enjoyed Ancient Runes today, too bad we've got so much to do for next week,"

Lily nodded as she wrote down the translation and ate some of her food, "We're going to ace this project, I can feel it. Maybe next week we'll go to the library and research Stonehenge,"

Remus nodded and turned around to see if he was being watched. He was not surprised to see James staring at him and Lily, sitting by Peter and Sirius. James gestured something, as if he wanted Remus and Lily to join them. Remus lifted his shoulders at James and tried to mimic _"I'll give it a try,"_

"Um, Lily," she didn't look away from her Ancient Runes notebook, "Would you like to join my friends? It would be nice for all of us to have dinner together,"

Lily looked at James and Sirius, and sighed, "Remus, if you want to sit with them, you can go. You don't have to sit with me if you don't want to, I mean... I can eat by myself, finish this paper,"

Remus felt guilty, "I don't want to leave you, Lily, I _want_ to have dinner with you. It's just that they miss me. I'm sure they'd like you to come over,"

Lily snorted, "I bet Potter would,"

Remus nodded, "Yeah, he actually would. So, will you join us?"

She sighed and finally caved in, "Oh, why not? What's the worst that can happen?" Remus smiled and patted her on the shoulder, "T-That's the spirit. Kind of. Now let's move closer to them, they won't bite. Well, I can't guarantee for Sirius, but…"

Lily laughed as she picked up her books and plate and moved it closer to the boys, taking a seat next to Peter, "Good evening, gentlemen. Potter,"

James snorted, "Moony, Evans. Good to see you,"

Sirius tried to contain his laughter, whispering something to James, and Lily continued to write something in her notebook. Remus found himself finishing his plate, and decided it was time for dessert. He grabbed some pumpkin pie, home-made chocolate, and nougat. Sirius had eaten four chicken legs, two plates of potatoes, and was still feeling hungry. The only one who could eat more than him was Peter, of course.

"Why did you join us, Evans? I thought you didn't hang out with our lot," Sirius asked her as he grabbed dessert.

"Well," Lily said, "You're Remus' friends. I am Remus' friend, so I think we should all get along, right? We should all be... _friends_,"

Peter nodded with a beaming smile, "Friendship is the best, isn't it, Lily?"

Lily threw a sad, melancholic glance over at the Slytherin table, as if she was looking for someone, or something she had lost, "Yes, Peter," she sighed, "Yes, it is." she noticed the boys looking at her curiously, and rapidly changed her expression, "Uh, I mean, Remus is always talking about how great you guys are, and that I should get to know you, so I guess that's what I'm doing know. Getting to know you lot," she smiled.

James grinned and Sirius winked at Remus. Lily was actually trying to make new friends, which was very weird indeed. Up until this year, she had been only hanging out with Severus Snape, a Slytherin fifth-year that was quite "creepy", as Sirius might call him. Remus glanced at him, sitting at the Slytherin table, writing notes on his Potions book. He was a tall, slender, pale-faced boy with long, black, slimy hair. He had a crooked nose and sharp dark eyes. He was a very good student, but most of the teachers feared him, as he was obsessed with Dark Magic and Potions, and could easily perform some very deadly spells on his enemies without any trace of remorse. Severus had recently started to hang out with his fellow Slytherins, Lucius Malfoy, and Sirius' dark brother and cousins, Regulus, Bellatrix and Narcissa Black, about the time Lily stopped spending time with him. Remus believed he was up to something, something twisted, something he couldn't tell Lily about.

"More juice?" James asked Lily and he poured some pumpkin juice in her glass.

Lily thanked James and drank some of the orange liquid, "So, have you started your studying yet?"

Sirius laughed, "These fellows can vouch for me when I say that I'm only going to study one month before the exam. That'll be enough, I reckon. Besides, I don't want to make my entire year a living hell,"

Lily giggled and turned to James, "Very well, Black. I see Mr. Potter here has already started his learning process," James had a few books by his side, probably just by coincidence.

James nodded, "Of course, Miss Evans. I take exams very seriously, and I intend to receive at least eight O.W.L.S. I need at least E's in Charms, D.a.D.A, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology,"

"These are the required subjects for an Auror, aren't they?" Lily smirked, "Well, interesting career choice, Potter,"

James sighed, "I hope I'll improve this year at Potions. It's not my thing,"

Lily smiled at Remus, "I know _someone_ who can show you a thing or two in Potions,"

Remus smiled bashfully at Lily and James patted Remus on the back, "Moony here can teach me almost anything, I reckon! Well, except for Care for Magical Creatures," James giggled.

"I think Remus will outsmart you in that class sooner than you'd expect," Lily winked at Remus, and James frowned.

* * *

_5th year boys Dormitory, 10 PM_

Remus changed into his striped pajamas and grabbed a towel to dry his long hair, "Moony, I know a spell that can make your hair dry in two seconds,"

Remus laughed, "I'll pass this time, Sirius. Last time you told me _you knew a spell_, you ended up setting my robes on fire. Since then, I only take them to the laundry room to have them washed,"

Sirius snorted, "Suit yourself, mate,"

James was laying down, staring at the red curtains that surrounded his four poster bed, throwing a Snitch in the air. His head was obviously filled with thoughts.

Peter was trying to fall asleep, but could hardly manage when Sirius was talking so loudly, "Sirius, pleaseeee, be quiet,"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Ok, ok, Wormtail. I'll try to be silent,"

Remus laughed, knowing that wasn't possible. He looked at James, who was still staring at nothing, playing with his Snitch, "James, something bothering you?"

James rose startled, "Mm, no, Moony, not a thing! Just, you know, thinking about stuff,"

Sirius looked at James, searching for something under his bed, "What stuff?" he grabbed something and let out an "Ah," and headed to the window. He opened the window, took out a cigarette, and lit it with his black lighter.

Remus threw him a glare, "What did we say about smoking in the dormitory?"

Sirius mocked Remus, "_We_ said it's not cool to have all of our clothes smelling like an ashtray. I'm not going to let the smoke enter the room, fine, Moony? Let a man smoke in peace,"

Remus rolled his eyes and covered his body with his blanket, "Moving on, James. What stuff, mate?"

James looked away from their stares and focused on the crimson curtains, "I was thinking about …_ Snivellus_,"

Sirius coughed with laughter as he let out another puff of smoke, "Thinking about what our next prank will be? I was thinking we should lift him into the air and pull his pants down,"

"As amusing as that might be," Remus said sarcastically, "I don't think that was James' point,"

James shook his head, "Nope, it was not. I was thinking more about his … sudden change of heart, I might call it. He used to hang out with Lily a lot, didn't he?"

Sirius nodded by the window, "Yeah, so what? Lily must've gotten tired of him, and it was high time she did anyway,"

"Maybe," answered James, "But I think they're something fishy about that geezer. Something that must've put Lily out. He's been spending a hell-of-a-lot of time with the other Blacks and that Malfoy prick. They're always lurking in the shadows, whispering,"

Remus thought about it a lot, actually. Since they've returned to school, some Slytherins have been cutting class and schemeing whenever they had the time. They could be seen in the Restricted Section of the library a lot, and were very suspicious most of the time.

"I think they're planning to do something. Something _really_ bad, not a prank or something of sorts," James added, "And I don't know if we should warn McGonagall, or Dumbledore, or… I don't know, someone who has power over them,"

Sirius put out his cigarette and threw it out, joining Remus on his bed, "Mate, we can't accuse them if we don't have evidence. Believe me, it'd love to have Regulus locked up in Azkaban along with Bellatrix and that bastard Malfoy, but no one will take us seriously if we can't prove they're up to something,"

Remus nodded, "Besides, McGonagall knows about our aversion towards the lot, and could believe we are biased,"

James sighed, "I don't know how to put it, I have a _bad feeling_, a very bad one,"

"I know, Prongs. Still, we have to have evidence. I'll pay attention to Reg during Christimas break. And we'll all keep an eye out for them at school. Until we can prove they're evil, we can only investigate,"

"Agreed," James said. The three of them were sitting gloomily on their beds, and even Sirius got into his covers.

"Now, on a more cheerful note," Sirius tried to smile, "What about the Halloween Ball? You blokes got dates yet?"

Remus snorted, "Yeah, sure. Like that'd happen,"

Sirius threw a towel at Remus, hitting him in the head, "Stop being such a crybaby, Moony! Girls like this whole tall and skinny, smart, kind, gentleman thing! It's a Muggle thing called heroin chic, it has something to do with drugs I reckon. Also, you're so skinny they think you have a terminal disease or something, they might agree to go out with you out of pity," he smirked.

Remus laughed, "Ha ha, very funny, Sirius. And why are you such a cocky bastard? Have you found yourself a girl immune to your smell yet?"

"For your information, Marlene McKinnon has agreed to go with me. After she's tested out my phenomenal snogging techniques, of course," Sirius winked at James.

"Good for you, Padfoot, you mad dog," James added, "I'm going to ask Lily seriously one more time, I think,"

Sirius snorted, "If that's not going to work out, Marlene had a friend that fancies you. She said, quote, _he's a fit bloke_," he chuckled.

James rolled his eyes, "Hmph, I don't need a back-up. Lily will say yes! I just have to find the perfect moment to ask her,"

Remus remembered something, "You can ask her when we go to Hogsmeade. She's agreed to come with us this weekend,"

James was surprised by the news. He got out of his blanket, jumped out of bed, and threw himself on Remus', hugging his friend, "Bloody hell, Moony, you're amazing! You did it, you did it, you did it!"

James' hug suffocated Remus, "Urgh, James, mate, I just invited her to come with us, it's not such a big deal, don't kill me,"

James laughed, "Oh, my dear naive friend, that's how it all begins. She goes out with his friends, sees how awesome he is outside of school, then she starts spending time with him, and finally, she falls for the bloke. I'm so lucky to have you for a friend, Moony, so _blessed_!"

Remus stared blankly and felt a little sting on the left side of his chest, _"Yeah,"_ he thought, _"Lucky,"._


	5. 5th of October : Hogsmeade

**A/N: So Mom read the first chapter, and her first comment was something along the lines of "I've never seen Remus wear Oxford shirts and cute sweaters,". Well, if anyone has been having the same dilemma Mom has, I'm here with the explanation. Firstly, I was trying to describe their uniform, so the clothes they wear are pretty much the same, even if Remus was not that into dressing up in the movies/books. Secondly, his parents aren't poor, and the only reason he dresses ragged-y in the books is because of his unemployment and his refusal to rely on his Father's money. So as a teenager, I see no point in making him dress badly. :) **

**Songs I played while writing : **

**Bastille - No Angels, Requiem for Blue Jeans, (I Just) Died in Your Arms, **

**Danity Kane - Stay With Me **

**I hope you enjoy this one. For the first review, I will give out a spoiler :3 .**

* * *

_Sunday, 5th of October, Hogwarts Grounds, 2 PM_

Remus decided to spend some time outdoors before Lily arrived. He took his Scamander book and read about all the fantastic creatures the wizarding world had to offer. The wind was blowing gently and warming Remus' body, ruffling his clothes and brushing through his hair. It was still warm enough to wear a sweater and a scarf without going through the trouble of carrying a jacket around. Remus took his most presentable sweater, a green crew neck sweater with a beige shirt underneath, his favourite pair of pants, the brown ones (the pair that didn't make his legs look like sticks), and his brown sneakers. He even tried to do something with his hair, but just like James', it wasn't very responsive to hairspray, or hair gel, or a comb, for that matter.

He sat by the beachtree facing the Black Lake, listening to the shushing whisper of grass blades, waiting for his "tutor". Leaves were floating in the dark water, marking the beginning of autumn. He felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of her like that. She might've felt obligated to help him when she heard he failed his test, he thought, and could not stop thinking about his whole relationship with Lily. He didn't want to get close to her just for James' sake, she was too good a person, and working as undercover did not suit him.

"I see you've started without me,"

A familiar voice entered Remus' ears. He turned around and there she was, wearing a matching green sweater with her Gryffindor scarf on, a pair of dark-wash jeans and some brown leather riding boots. She wore her hair down, waves of red falling down her shoulders.

"Hey, Lily. I was just reading something, came out here earlier to relax," he smiled as he put his Scamander book away and got up off the ground, joining her side, "So, tutor, where should we start?"

She smirked at the word tutor, "I talked to Hagrid yesterday and asked him to bring us some creatures and let us practice outside his house. We're heading to his Hut,"

The two of them headed to the Hut, passing by the trees and small hills of the grounds. The trees were no longer green. Instead, they had vivid hues of scarlet and gold, matching Remus' and Lily's scarves. The rose bushes were withering away as the days passed, and as they were approaching Hagrid's Hut, they saw fewer and fewer flowers.

When Lily and Remus got to Hagrid's door, Lily knocked softly on his door and shouted, "Hagrid, we're here!"

A huge, robust man stood in the doorstep, with a smile as big as his body on his face, "Hello, Lily! Abou' time yer' arrived!"

"Sorry for the delay, Hagrid. I guess you've already met Remus,"

Hagrid knew Remus since he was a first year. Sometimes, Hagrid would accompany Remus on his monthly trips to the Shrieking Shack and wait for him outside after the transformation was complete. When his body was weak and Remus couldn't walk anymore, Hagrid would carry him in his arms. Remus looked at Hagrid suggestively and hoped he wouldn't say a word about his condition, "O' course I know 'im! Professor Dumbledore talks 'bout yer all the time, Remus,"

Remus smiled kindly, "Thank you for helping us, Hagrid. I really appreciate it,"

"Argh, don' yer worry 'bout a thing, Remus! 'm happy ter help!"

Hagrid led the two to his garden and asked them to wait for him. He went into the edge of the forest, entering the darkness.

"What creatures are we going to meet today?" Remus asked Lily, and she giggled, "Eager, aren't we? You'll see, my little student,"

Hagrid returned from the woods with a large rope in his hands. He was accompanied by a great beast. Its front legs, head, and wings were of a eagle, and his body, hind legs and tail were of a horse. A hippogriff. Remus remembered seeing one last year in his Care for Magical Creatures class, but he didn't know if they were going to be on the O.W.L. exam.

"Thanks for fetching him, Hagrid," Lily spoke, "I'll take it from here," he patted her pack and wished her "Good luck, Professor,"

Lily approached the creature and caressed its head. She was looking at it lovingly, murmuring soft, kind words. Remus was entranced by the scene, caught up in Lily's warm speech, in her caring eyes, and gentle nature.

"Lesson number one: all creatures are different. Take Hippogriffs, for example. They're extremely proud. Won't let you offend them, or behave as if you're superior in any way. They're also pretty dangerous if you don't know how to approach them,"

The great creature was already eyeing Remus nervously, "Um, so, how do I approach them?" asked Remus hesitantly.

Lily looked at him reassuringly, "You've got to let him make the first move. Move towards us slowly, and when you're two feet away from us, bow respectfully,"

Remus placed one foot in front of the other carefully, keeping his eyes fixed on the hippogriff. He moved silently, reducing the space between them. When he was close to the creature, he bowed lowly. He slightly raised his head to see its reaction. Remus found himself surprised when he saw the hippogriff had bowed to him as well.

"_Very _good, Remus! You've got it. Now come here and give him a pat on the head. But don't let your guard down. There's no need to be afraid, I'm here,"

_"She's here,"_ Remus thought, as he approached the creature courageously. He stretched his hand and touched its feathers. It closed its eyes and squealed happily. Remus could not believe his eyes : he was actually petting a hippogriff!

"I-I… I did it!" Remus gasped.

"I don't get it. You've mastered this quite rapidly. Sorry to ask, but why haven't you been able to do this during class?"

Remus looked into her deep, questioning eyes, "I guess I've never had enough confidence to do this. And Professor Plank can be condescending sometimes, thus giving me more problems with self-awareness,"

Lily laughed, "Remus, you did this by yourself, you do realise this, don't you?"

"I did, it's just… you helped. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you,"

Lily blushed, "Oh, come on, it's not like that… I didn't do much, I just gave you the same instructions any teacher would've,"

Remus shook his head, "It wasn't the instructions that helped me. You_ trust_ me, don't you? You believed I could do it, and that's why I did it… because… somebody had faith in me,"

Lily sighed and touched Remus' hand, making his body develop a tingling sensation through his members, "I pretend I know you, Remus, but I don't understand a thing about you. You are smart, funny, kind, you're one of the_ popular kids_… Why are you so self-conscious? And please, don't say because you're skinny, or I'll slap you," she laughed.

Remus couldn't possibly tell her the truth. He couldn't. Not now. Possibly not ever, "Well, thanks," he blushed at her compliments, "It _is _a bit about my looks, even if it sounds shallow. But that's not quite _it_. I guess… being one of the _popular kids_ is the primary reason," he wasn't telling a complete lie. Actually, he wasn't lying _at all,_ "Being friends with James and Sirius is … sometimes hard. I'm going to sound like a _really_ bad person right now, and you might change your opinion of me, but… keeping up with them is _so_ hard,"

Lily snorted, "Yeah, right. Potter and Black, _better_ than you?"

Remus frowned, "Hear me out here. Look at it from this point of view : one of them is a Quidditch star, the other is a self-proclaimed rebel. Both of them are adored by girls, extremely smart without even trying, rich, plus… They both have exceptional looks. Masculine, fit. They have… muscles and all the things labeled as attractive by society and females in general,"

Lily smiled, "You know what they have that you don't? Confidence. That's what makes them so _cool_, if you want to put it this way. If you had their confidence, it wouldn't have been fair for them, or for the other guys in the world. They wouldn't be getting any… _females_," she laughed.

He frowned and pushed her jokingly, "Very funny, Lily," he touched his face, running his fingers on his scars, feeling as if he was already revealing too much, "They also… don't have a messed up face,"

Lily did not look away, or avoid his eyes, or do anything of sorts. She reached for his face, and ran her soft fingers over his scars, "I know you're keeping something secret from everyone. Your mouth may be closed, but your heart isn't. I'm not going to ask you what it is, but remember this : scars are not injuries. They might remind you of pain and suffering. But they hold an entirely different meaning. A scar is a healing. After an injury, a scar is what makes you whole,"

Remus could not take his eyes away from hers. She was still touching his face, not grossed out by his wound, not showing any sign of disgust. She was smiling so brightly at him. He felt breathless.

"Lily," he almost whispered, "I wanted to ask you … On the train, in the Prefects' compartment,"

"Yes?"

"Why did you stop hanging out with Snape?" she took her hand away from his face and looked away._ "Bad idea," _Remus thought.

"You have your secrets… and I guess I have mine. For the time being. You'll find out soon," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"Don't tell me anything you don't want to. Not until you feel ready,"

She nodded and grabbed his hand to comfort her, "Thanks. Remus?"

"Yes, Lily?"

She looked into his eyes, blushing, and splured out, "Do you have a date to the Halloween Ball? I was thinking… I thought we could go together, as _friends_. It would be fun,"

"Um, well, urgh…" Remus thought of James and how horrid it would be for him. How could he possibly do this to James? It would surely be considered as betraying his friend, and he wasn't sure he could do this for Lily.

Lily looked at his face, "You can answer later, no worries. Just… think about it, ok?"

Remus nodded as he was trying to hide his dilemma. Lily looked at her small golden watch and gasped, "Look at the time, we should get to Hogsmeade if we want to come back before curfew!"

Lily grabbed Remus' hand and led him to the wooden bridge. They crossed the bridge without saying a word and continued silently until they reached the outskirts of the village. Hogsmeade was packed that day, since it was Sunday and most of the fifth, sixth and seventh years were around shopping for the Halloween Ball and grabbing a casual Butterbeer here and there. Honeydukes was having a big sale with every sweet you could imagine, and the best part was their Halloween Collection. Pumpkin Pastries, Pumpkin Gingerbread Wizards, Candy Corn Upside Down Cake, and many others were waiting on the shelves for sweet-toothed teenagers.

As they were strolling silently through the crowd, Remus couldn't ignore the stares. It was even worse than in Diagon Alley. On their way to the Three Bromsticks, Remus heard at least two different groups talking about him and asking themselves why he was hanging out with Lily. He also overheard two girls talking about Severus Snape.

When they reached the pub, Remus opened the door for Lily and entered after her. The place was just as full as the rest of the village. The only empty table was by the window. The tables were packed with couples, groups of friends, and laughter and the sweet scent of Butterbeer filled the air. Remus showed Lily to their table, asked her to wait for a second, and walked up to the bar to get some menus.

Behind the bar, lovely Madam Rosmerta was pouring Firewhisky into some glasses. Remus kept staring at the glasses, just to avoid looking at Rosmerta's generous cleavage, "Well, well, what've we got here? Remus, right? I see you've abandoned your goofy friends for a more … _serious matter_," she smirked while looking at Lily.

Remus blushed, "Oh, come on Madam Rosmerta! I'll have two Butterbeers, please,"

She winked, "Better make it a Firewhisky for you. You'll need the courage if you want to seal the deal,"

Remus frowned, "You're not allowed to sell spirits to underage wizards or witches," she sighed, "You're no fun, has anyone told you before?" she rushed to the back and uncorked two tinted bottles, "That'll be five sickles. Don't screw this up,"

"Again, nothing to screw up here," he sighed, grabbing the two hot mugs and taking them to his table. When he got there, Lily was looking outside the window and playing with her hair.

"One hot Butterbeer for the best tutor," Remus smiled and gave Lily her mug. She took a sip and got foam all over her nose, whiping it bashfully, "Sweet goodness," she licked her lips playfully, "How did you know I like it hot?"

Remus raised his shoulders and drank some of his steaming hot Butterbeer, "I might've seen you having a drink with your female friends every once in a while,"

Lily laughed, "Female friends, seriously? You're weird, Lupin,"

Remus raised his eyebrow, "Not as weird as the girl who has ten posters of Pink Floyd, I hope I said it right, above her bed, Evans,"

Lily pouted, "H-how do you know that?"

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Your friends are kind of loud sometimes. Marlene, especially. She's a good match for Sirius, to think of it,"

As they were laughing carelessly, the wind chimes went off and the door opened wide. Sirius ran into the pub, followed by Peter. Seconds after, James came in. He was wearing a simple white shirt and some blue jeans paired with Converse shoes. He looked as if he came out of a Muggle music video.

"Moony, you _tosser_, you couldn't have possibly waited for us, could you?" Sirius patted Remus on the back, and took the seat next to the window. Peter muttered a quick "Hello," and sat next to Sirius. James walked towards them slowly, Butterbeer in his right hand, his left hand in his hair, messing it up.

"Good day to you, mates," James sat next to Lily and grabbed a cigarette out of Sirius' pack, lighting it up, "Evans,"

Lily coughed on the smoke and frowned at James, "What are _you lot _doing here? I thought you'd much rather spend a free day getting plastered on Firewhiksky over at the Hog's End,"

Sirius snorted, smoking his cigarette, "Dear Miss Evans, we've decided it would be a shame, really, to deprive you of spending an afternoon with not _one_, not _two_, not even _three,_ but _four_ smashing blokes,"

Peter stuffed his face with crisps, "Oh, and Remus said you've agreed to hang out with us this weekend,"

Lily rolled her eyes and turned to Remus, whispering in his ear, "I did not agree to such a thing,?" he raised his shoulders and she shrugged.

Remus thought it was pretty obvious they would all be hanging out that day. He didn't ask Lily on a date, he just asked her if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade, not if she wanted to go to Hogsmeade _with him_. _"Girls are bloody complicated,"_ Remus said to himself.

Lily stared into her mug, not looking at anyone, not even at Remus, and he started to feel guilty. What was wrong with her? She had been having dinner with them for the entire week, she even told Remus_ "They're not that bad,"_ and moreover, they were his friends! He could specifically recall her saying that she did not want Remus to choose her over his friends. _"Was she just paying lip service?" _

"So, are you fellows ready for the major rave-up that is the Halloween Ball?" Sirius looked at James, "On the legendary night, Sirius Black and his trusted friends will elaborate the greatest plan that was ever conceived by a man, the idea which fuelled a revolution-"

"What are you talking about, Black?" Lily frowned.

Peter smiled sincerely, "Didn't Remus tell you, Lily? James and Sirius will sneak ten pints of-"

James and Sirius put their hands over Peter's mouth and held him tightly, "Shut up, shut up!"

Lily looked suspiciously at the two, "What are you going to sneak in? And where, exactly?"

The two of them laughed nervously and looked at Remus, asking him for help. He was just as speechless as they were, "Jesus, Wormtail, you're daft sometimes! She's a bloody Prefect, for one!" James sighed.

Lily jumped, "Wait a minute, what prank are you cooking up now? You're sleeping next to another Prefect, so whatever you're doing, you'll be getting in trouble if you don't cut it out,"

Sirius snorted, "As if. He'd be getting in major trouble too if he spitted anything out-"

Remus shushed Sirius and blushed, "Don't tell me you've been helping them with this prank! Bloody hell, Remus, I thought you were above this stuff now!"

"Oh, come on, Evans, it's just a bit of fun. Moony ought to be more reckless," James puffed smoke as he was speaking, "We wouldn't manage to carry out _half _the pranks we do without his plans,"

Lily wore a pinched expression, "I see how _you'_re missing the brains to devise a plan, Potter,"

Sirius laughed and mocked James, "Oh, she's bad, mate! Burned you good,"  
James had a sudden desire to run away, "You think you're very funny, don't you, Evans?"

Remus laughed silently, "You've got to admit, James. She kind of is," James rolled his eyes and drank some more Butterbeer.

* * *

The five of them were returning to Hogwarts. It was almost 7 PM and the sky was already filled with darkness. It was awfully cloudy, and you couldn't see the stars or the moon on the sky, but according to Remus' calendar, the moon was in the third quarter. It got really chilly, and the group walked close to each other, trying to preserve whatever heat they had left. Remus walked in the back, following the others without saying a word. He felt a tad distraught, keeping his distance from his friends and thinking about the Halloween Ball.

"_Lily_, can I have a word with you?" James spoke silently, calling Lily by her first name to her surprise. She nodded and reduced the space between them, listening closely to his words.

Remus moved cautiously around them, keeping within earshot. Lily was shivering, and before she could even say something about it, James took off his jacket, handing it over to Lily, even if he had nothing but a t-shirt on.

"You're mad, Potter! You're in a bloody t-shirt!" Lily gasped at the sight of his exposed arms, "Put this back on, it's my fault I didn't think of bringing a jacket,"

James shook his head and covered her shoulders with his warm, fleece jacket, "No worries, I've got Sirius' flask," he pulled out a flat, thin container and drank some liquor out of it, "Want some Firewhisky?"

She raised an eyebrow, but surprisingly took the flask and drank, "Ew, that's strong," she laughed and he smiled.

"Keeps you warm, doesn't it?" she nodded at James, "You aren't going to confiscate this, are you?"

Lily laughed "I'm not that bad, Potter. You look like James Dean in this get-up,"

James stared at the clothing, "I may or may not have watched a Muggle music video. It was all for… educational purposes, if you might,"

Lily grinned, "What did you want to ask me?"

"Aaah, right… So, I was wondering… do you have a date to the Halloween Ball?"

Lily sighed, "We've discussed this, Potter,"

James felt nauseous, trying to escape her eyes, "I'm serious, Evans. Has anyone asked you yet?"

"It's of my concern, not yours. Maybe I've asked someone," she said absently.

James widened his eyes in shock, "Asked someone? Who? Who did you ask, Evans? Tell me,"

Lily stared at him, surprised by his outburst, "As I've told you, it's my business! Now please, let's change the subject,"

James looked at her painfully, "Come on, Evans, tell me! There's no one, is there? You're just making stuff up,"

Lily snapped, "Don't you get it? I will _never _go out with you, James Potter! You are arrogant, mean, immature, spoiled-urgh!"

She stormed to the castle furiously, leaving the four boys behind. James bit his lip and clenched his fists, looking at Remus and Sirius. Sirius came by his side and patted him on the back. Remus stared at her red curls disappearing.

* * *

_Gryffindor Common Room, 3 AM_

The fire was burning in the Common Room. Outside, the moon shone majestically, overlooking the Black Lake. The white light reflected on Remus' pale skin. His legs were tucked closely, touching his flat chest. His long arms could easily encircle his scrawny long legs. He could not sleep, thinking of his friend.

Lily had turned James down. Again. Only this time, it felt more real than it has ever felt. Because James was serious that time. He truly wanted to take her to the Halloween Ball, and she had reacted as if it was all a joke. Granted, James did not know how to talk to Lily, seeing as he didn't even get to asking her properly, but still, he got hurt badly by her outburst. When they entered the dorm room, James took off his clothes without saying anything, put on his pajamas, and after taking a shower, went straight to bed. Although Sirius tried talking to him, he kept grunting and pulled the covers over his head. After sneaking out with a girl, possibly Marlene McKinnon, Sirius returned to their dorm and fell asleep rapidly.

Remus tried to fall asleep as well, but after three hours of lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, he decided to sit in the Common Room for a while. He wanted to get some fresh air, and the vibe surrounding their room was not making him comfortable at all. He was trying to read an Arithmancy book, but thoughts overflowed his mind.

"Can I sit with you?"

A gentle voice came from the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory. A short, hourglass figure dressed in a tiny pink nightdress caught Remus' eyes. Lily Evans couldn't sleep as well. Her hair was naturally tidy, but her face looked a bit pale and her eyes were surrounded by dark circles.

"Sit down,"

She moved slowly towards Remus, throwing her body on the couch he was sitting on, leaning her head on his shoulder. Remus looked down into his eyes and an electric feeling filled his being after meeting her look.

"Do you think I was too mean?" she said in a soft voice, "I couldn't fall asleep. He really annoyed me, but I didn't intend to snap at him,"

Remus shrugged, scratching the side of his scared cheek, "It was difficult for him to hear you talk like that to him. His ego took a big blow today, you know,"

"I know he's a proud bloke, and all. I just couldn't take it anymore. There's a number of excuses you can use when you reject someone,"

"You could just go out with him. It's not a big deal," Remus said coldly, staring at the cover of his Arithmancy book.

Lily didn't say anything, pretending she didn't hear what Remus said, and played with her fingers nervously. She was still leaning on his shoulder and heating his cold skin with her warmth.

"Why did you get so angry? I mean, what did he say so horrible?" Remus asked her.

Lily coughed, keeping her head down, "He-He said… _No one_ asked me to the Ball, which was true. And that I was making stuff up, and he implied that… I should go out with him, since I don't have any alternative. And I know this is going to sound very teenage-girlish and superficial, but no one has really asked me to go, except for James. Not great for one's ego,"

Remus' stomach felt as if he was on a roller coaster. His mind went fuzzy, not knowing what to say or do next. Before he could think about it, he said, "Except for James… and _me_,"

Lily widened her eyes, turning her head towards Remus, her head being inches from his, "W-What?"

"I'm asking you to go with me. To the Ball,"


	6. 31st of October : Always

**Warning! May contain coarse language, swearing, and underage drinking! If you are under 13 or any of these things offend you, do not proceed with reading this chapter. **

**A/N : So the Halloween Ball is finally here! I'll just leave you to read this chapter and comment on the events ^.^ as always, review, favourite and follow! I hope you like this moment :3 **

**I hope I am not making James too … unlikable; this is not my intention, really now! If I am, please point it out .**

**Listened to : **

**Ed Sheeran - 'X' album → especially "Afire Love" and "Bloodstream"**

**Panic! At The Disco : "Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die!" album → "Far Too Young To Die", "Casual Affair", and so on **

_**-S.**_

* * *

_Friday, 31st of October - 12 hours until the 1975 Halloween Ball_

_Fifth Year Boys' Dormitory_

They were given leisure time until the Halloween Ball to get all their affairs in order before a night of fun and dancing. The girls were nowhere in sight, probably preparing for the party. Some of them even booked an appoitment at Clarissa's Curls, where the best hairdresser in all of Hogsmeade did her magic. The lads didn't bother; they would probably just comb their hair and use some hairspray, if necessary. The hustle and bustle of the castle was expected, but Remus didn't imagine it would be this bad.

Even James, Sirius and Peter were nervous. Sirius tried to iron his clothes with a spell, but failed miserably. He was actually aggitated, asking his mates if his dress robes were "cool enough". Sirius' dress robes were more on the traditional side; they were velvet, navy blue Victorian robes, with leaves embroidered close to his collar. The sleeves had simple, ivory-coloured lace sticking out, and his shirt was ivory as well. He wasn't entirely sure if he should wear his hair tied up or not. James' were standard black robes, but he decided to wear a red bowtie to make his appearence distinctive. Peter's robes looked exactly like James', and he felt quite proud of that.

Remus hadn't opened the package his Father sent him the other day. He forgot to pack or buy any dress robes, so he presumed they would be sent to him. He grabbed it from his bed and unravelled it. The classiest robes Remus could ever wish for were in his hands. They were very simple, dark green robes with a cream coloured shirt. The robes had an unique collar and felt smooth as he was running them through his fingers. There was also a dark brown tie with burgundy fleur-de-lis on it. Under them was a letter from his Father.

_Dear Remus,_

_Congratulations once more for being chosen as the male Gryffindor Prefect! We are so proud of you, son, and let you know that your determination has made you the young man you are today. May your night be as lovely as the robes you will proudly wear (we hope). Take a break from all that studying and have fun! - Dad_

_P.S. Mom asked me to tell you to "make good choices", but I think you ought to make a few bad ones as well. _

Remus smiled as he folded his letter, placing it on his nightstand. He laid his clothes on the bed and opened his trunk to look for his dress shoes and black socks.

"Nice robes you got there, Moony," James added, "They suit you,"

"R-Really? I hope they won't look ridiculous on me. I don't know if I clean up well," he chuckled.

James smirked, "Nonsense, you'll be a lady killer. Although no one here is quite as majestic as our dear Padfoot, but you might get second place,"

Sirius stuck his tongue out, "Black family heirloom. They wouldn't like me to ruin the family name. I hope I don't look like a pompous fool,"

Peter stared confused at Sirius' robes, "They're really nice, Sirius,"

Remus searched for something in his trunk, "I think Mom gave me an flatiron, Sirius. For your robes, I mean,"

Sirius looked confused, "Flat-what?"

"Flatiron. You use it to iron your clothes," Remus grabbed it and passed it to Sirius, "You plug it in and run it over your clothes," Remus showed him the socket every dorm room had, in case anyone needed it, "My Mom uses Muggle appliances, you know. Since she's a Muggle,"

"Whatever you say, Moony. Please, if you're so kind, do it for me. I would be eternally grateful. I really don't understand the principle of this … _flatiron_,"

Remus sighed as he grabbed the iron and the navy robes, "What would you do without me?"

Sirius' mouth turned into a big, goofy smile, "Thank you, Mooooony," Remus plugged the flatiron in, put the robes on his bed and waited for the iron to get hot.

"So James, we'll wait for Marlene and her friend down in the Common Room at a quarter to eight," Sirius said as he ran his fingers through his long, wavy hair, making sexy faces in the mirror, "If she's anything like Marlene described her to be, you should be getting some action tonight,"

James shrugged, "She'd better be. I wouldn't have agreed to go out with her if I wasn't single two days before the bloody Ball. What's her name anyways?"

"Kendra. She's the delicious chocolate bird with huge knockers," Sirius grinned, "You'll definetly like her. Oh, Wormtail, did you manage to trick someone into going with you?"

Peter's puppy dog eyes looked at Sirius, "Ow, come on, Sirius, don't be like that. I-I'm going with Sarah Knocks, she's a third year. She asked me if Remus was going with someone, and I didn't know what to tell her, so I asked her if she … wanted to go with me instead. And she agreed...eventually,"

Sirius laughed and patted Remus on the back while he was ironing the dress robes, "Old Moony here's got himself a groupie! About that… Who are you taking, Moony?"

Remus dropped the iron on his hand and let a pained hiss out, "N-N-Nobody!"

James got up his bed and jumped on Remus' bed, "Go on, mate, tell us. We won't laugh or anything,"

Remus covered his hand, "Really, I'm not taking anyone, seriously, I mean, who would _I _take? Definetly not a _girl,_ or a boy for that matter, or a human being. Or a halfbreed, or… I mean, I-I-"

Sirius thew him a suspicious look, "Are you hiding something from us, Moony?"

Remus shook his head nervously, rushing to the sink to run cold water over his burn. His hands were trembling as he turned the faucet on, washing the pain and the sweat away from his hand. He muttered something to himself, washing his face with cold water, and after he turned the faucet off, he paced shakingly around the room.

James sighed, looking almost annoyed, "Stop it, mate, just spit it out. We won't mind,"

"Yeah, Remus, tell us," Petter begged.

"We won't laugh or anything. We're definetly not going to make fun of you if you don't have a date. It's okay even if you're taking a Slytherin. Please tell me you're not taking a Slytherin," Sirius sneered.

Remus looked at James comforting eyes. Would he hate him? They were going to find out sooner or later anyway, it's not like he could hide from them the entire evening. Or could he? Nevermind, he had to tell them. He was surprised he kept it secret from them for three entire weeks. They haven't been talking about the Ball a lot ever since James got rejected by Lily, so he hadn't had the chance to tell them. Not that he had been looking forward to do it.

Remus sighed as he sat down on his bed, "Okay. Three weeks ago, I was down at Hagrid's with Lily, learning how to pet a Hippogriff. And we were talking about, you know … stuff. I was telling her how I view myself, and how I ... well, don't have a lot of confidence, and all that-"

"And she set you up with one of her friends!" Peter exclaimed happily.

Sirius frowned, "But Lily's friends with Marlene and Kendra, isn't she? What other friend does she have to set you up with?"

James shushed them, "Stop interrupting him! Go on,"

Remus avoided James' look, "And well… she tried to make me feel better, saying how I shouldn't let anything get in the way of my happiness, not even scars… and one thing led to the other…"

James went pale and glared at Remus coldly. He had undeniably figured it out, and already knew what Remus was going to say next, "Say it," he grunted.

"She asked me if I wanted us to go to the Ball _together_. As… friends, just as friends, James," he tried to defend himself in some way, but he knew it was futile.

James got up from Remus' bed and stormed out of the room without saying a word. The other boys stared at him while he left the dorm, slamming the door closed. Sirius threw Remus a comforting look, trying to make him feel better, but nothing could make Remus guilt-free at the moment.

"He'll come around, mate, you'll see. He's just… shocked. Blimey, Moony… What the bloody fuck?" Sirius frowned.

"I didn't want to say yes at first! I knew how that would make James feel, but then we went to Hogsmeade, and she fought with him, and down in the Common Room at 3 AM-"

Peter widened his eyes, "You were sitting with her in the Common Room alone at 3 AM? What were you doing there?"

"N-Nothing! We were just talking…"

"So let me get this straight," Sirius said, "She asked you before rejecting James? You were _the one _she had asked? She was actually telling the truth?"

Remus shrugged, "I didn't want any of this to happen!"

Sirius shouted, "But it did, bloody hell! It did happen, okay, and you did _nothing!_ Does she know how much James likes her? Does she know you're just talking to her because James asked you to do it? She has no right to fall for y-"

Remus got up angrily from his bed and yelled, "Firstly, I am not talking to her only because of James! Secondly, she wouldn't have rejected him in the first place if he hadn't been acting like a twat around her for ages! And lastly, she is not _falling_ for me!"

"But you're falling for her, _aren't you_?" Sirius snapped at him.

Remus tried to control his anger. "_He__ is not taking over right now. Not __him__, not now. Keep __him__ in, Remus_,"

Remus breathed to calm himself down, and tried to explain "You don't know the first thing about her. She is so lonely, Sirius, have you noticed she's not talking to Snape anymore? I've been there for her lately, and she wanted to have a friend with her tonight. I am her friend,"

"You're _our_ friend, Moony. Sitting with her down in the Common Room alone at 3 in the morning, _for fuck's sake..._ She's James', you know that," Sirius shrugged.

"Fuck, Sirius, she's not a piece of meat!" he snapped, "She's a human being with feelings and she doesn't need you two treating her like an object or a prize. I'm not going to apologize for going with her to the Ball. You can't force her to go with James,"

Sirius took a cigarette from his pack and opened the window, standing on the window pane, "You can't, but you had a choice. You could've said no. That was the moral thing to do here,"

Remus covered his eyes with his hands and didn't know how to fight this anymore. Sirius lit his cigarette and gestured to Remus if he wanted one. Remus didn't think twice and grabbed a cigarette from Sirius' pack, lit it, and inhaled the smoke. Weird feeling, it was. Sirius looked at his friend, holding a cigarette between his fingers and smoking it not because he liked the taste or wanted to be cool, but because he felt lost, sad and desperate.

"Moony … I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. You… You don't deserve this," Sirius blew smoke out the window, "I know you're feeling guilty… it wasn't fair for me to give you shit,"

Remus choked, "It's okay,"

"Please, don't … just don't _kiss_ her in front of James," Remus frowned, "I won't kiss her at all. I don't … I don't want us to be like _that_,"

"You don't. But what about _her_?"

Remus stared at Sirius as he was finishing his first cigarette ever.

* * *

_15 minutes until the 1975 Halloween Ball_

_Gryffindor Common Room_

The four boys were waiting for their dates, the others having already left the Common Room. They weren't talking between them, not saying even a teeny-tiny word. James was nervously checking his watch, and Sirius was tapping his foot on the floor. Peter bit his nails nervously, wondering if Sarah would stand him up. The only one who wanted to run away and spend all of his night inside his Dorm Room was Remus. His throat was closing up, his heart was running on 100 miles per hour, and his pupils were heavily dialated. He hated social situations, especially the ones which demanded talking to girls, dancing with girls, and not to add making a friend jealous. He had never once in his school years made James angry. He had always been around for him when he was actually bothered by something, and James confided in him even more than he did in Sirius. He was his true best friend, and now he was taking his dream girl to the Ball.

Sirius cleared his throat, trying to defuse the tension, "So Moony, what's our stash?"

Remus looked confused at first, but then answered, "We have enough for all the 5th, 6th, and 7th year blokes, and still have some left if girls are feeling like it. And we also have some Butterbeer,"

"And McGonagall?"

"Prank : Peeves in Action shall commence whenever we need it to. Briefly, Peter will provoke Peeves if he sees McGonagall in the hallways, thus avoiding us being caught by her. If that fails, we always have Plan B, C and Prank : Blame It on The Slytherins," Remus could not help feeling proud of all the schemes he had prepared for that night, and confused at the same time since it conflicted with his Prefect duties.

Sirius patted him on the back, "You're the best!"

James did not wish to speak with either of them. He sat quietly on the couch, waiting for Kendra to come down and then rush to the ball room, dance for a few hours, and then get plastered on Firewhisky.

"Hear that, Prongs? It's going to be an epic night, chap!" Sirius grabbed James' shoulders.

James shrugged, "Good thing _Moony_ was here to plan everything," he said sarcastically, moving away from Sirius and approaching his date.

The three girls were desceding, and the boys could feel their hearts race. Marlene was wearing a turquoise dress, short enough to be sexy but long enough to leave room for imagination. She wore her hair straight blonde hair in a long ponytail.

Kendra gave James her hand and he kissed it like a gentleman would have done. James scanned her up and down. She was wearing her mahagony, wavy hair in an elegant bun, complimenting her scarlet, provocative dress, "You look beautiful tonight, Kendra," said James, but not looking at his date, not even thinking about his date. The last girl to arrive was Lily. Her fiery hair was as beautiful as ever, covering her glowing, porcelain skin. Her emerald eyes, framed by long lashes, seemed to brighten the world, at least Remus thought so. She chose to wear a gorgeous emerald A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline.

She got closer to Remus and smiled, "Good evening, Sir. Fancy a night of endless cliche songs played by over-rated bands?"

Remus laughed and searched his pockets, joining in her game, "Why, of course I do, my lady," he pulled out a small, red box and handed it over to Lily, "Mother said… it's proper to do this, so… "

She grinned at him and opened the little box anxiously. She looked surprised to find a chocolate-covered pumpkin muffin. She laughed, bringing happiness to her eyes, and took a big bite out of the muffin, "This is so… unusual. Muggles usually give out _corsages_, little flower bracelets, you know that?"

"Mom said I should buy you a corsage, or make you one, but it seemed too … _ordinary_,"

Lily continued to smile as she ate the entire muffin, "You know what? I think _this_ is way better than a corsage. This is more personal. Has_ you _written all over it,"

Sirius gestured to Remus that it was time, after he had finished snogging Marlene. Kendra was trying to talk with James, but she wasn't getting anything other than some shrugs and sarcastic remarks. Peter was still waiting for his date, but she joined the group quickly.

"Seeing as we've been reunited with our lovely ladies, it's time for us to join the crowd, mates!" Sirius offered Marlene his arm and led her to the Ball Room, followed by James, sitting a few meters apart from Kendra, to her dissapointment, Peter and Sarah, and lastly, Remus and Lily.

"S-Shall we?" Remus asked Lily nervously. Although they were going only as friends, it still felt awkward and difficult for Remus. His Mother's advice seemed good in theory, but trying to apply it was the hard part.

Lily nodded, "Of course. Lead the way, Sir," she giggled.

* * *

_The 1975 Halloween Ball_

_Hogwarts Great Hall _

Their group of eight grabbed an empty table somewhere in the back, avoiding the noise and commotion of the dance floor. Peter was nervously talking to Sarah, who kept smiling at Remus, and Sirius whispered things to Marlene that made her blush deeply. Remus made small talk with Lily, who felt awkward to be at the same table with Remus' friends, particularly James.

"Gonna grab some food," James added coldly as he picked up his plate and headed to the buffet.

"M-Me too!" Remus grabbed his plate hurriedly, almost spilling the glasses they had on the table, and ran to James, joining him. He wanted to try talking to him and explaining the situation. James rolled his eyes and did not pay any attention to Remus, walking to the buffet.

The teachers and Heads made a really great job decorating the Hall. Jack-O-Lanterns, hairy hanging spiders and webs were all over the room. Dumbledore enchanted the ceiling to make it look as if there was a full red moon in the sky, and pumpkins were floating in the air. The punchbowl had floating eyeballs inside, and they did not spare the expenses when it came to sweets. Remus awed when he saw the infinite variety of candy and cakes on display. The entire room smelled of pumpkin spice and candy apple. Behind the buffet, the teachers were eating their meals, dressed in their formal robes, looking relaxed and more approachable than usual. The Head of Gryffindor House, Minerva McGonagall, was wearing an orange dress robe with a pointy red hat, and was chatting with Flitwick, their Charms teacher. Miss Spinnet, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, winked at Remus as she was raising her glass. Remus was her favourite student, since he had an aptitude for her subject, and worked very hard to succeed.

James threw Remus a cold glare as he was grabbing some turkey, mashed potatoes and punch, "Look, _Moony_, another one of your groupies,"

Remus felt his chest tighten, "Cut it out, James,"

"Why should I? It's not as if you care what I think or want anyway,"

Remus snapped, raising his voice, "Stop talking shit! I only wish you well, you know that. I've never wanted to hurt you,"

"Then why are you going out with Lily?"

Couples were dancing to the lively tunes of "Accio Love" on the dance floor, waving their hands in the air and whipping their hair. The music was almost too loud to hear anything else, but the boys standing by the buffet could not hear it. Their dates were eagerly waiting at the table, alone, while Sirius, Peter, Marlene and Sarah were dancing.

Remus gritted through his teeth, "I'm not going out with her. We just went to this event together. It's a one time thing, mate. I can't exactly force her to go out with you, I hope you're aware of this,"

James snapped, "And the logical conclusion was taking her to the ball, right?"

"I'm not betraying you in any way. Like it or not, Lily and I are friends, and she isn't fond of you at the moment, a thing which I am trying to fix. Some things you can't fix with magic, James. This conversation is over, let's go and sit with the girls, they look a bit lonely,"

James shoved more food on his plate and rushed to the table, leaving Remus at the buffet. After he grabbed some food and, of course, dessert, he joined the others at the table. Sirius, Marlene, Peter and Sarah has finished dancing and were eating as well. While the girls were nibbling their food gently, the boys devoured the delicious meal. Sirius brought everyone punch and spiked it with some of the Firewhisky he had in his flask. Lily was very suspicious of her drink, but did not mind the taste of whisky in her pumpkin juice and poured it down.

Remus had very little resistance to alcohol, and he could already feel his head spinning from the spiked pumpkin juice. The chemicals in his bloodstream rushed to his nervous system, clouding his vision.

The band changed their rhythm, playing a romantic piece next. Couples were rushing to the dance floor, getting close to each other. Sirius asked Marlene to dance, and she happily accepted. Sirius tilted his head towards Kendra, signalling to James that it was time to ask her to dance. Forcefully and without any excitement, James offered Kendra her arm and walked her to the dance floor, placing his hands on her waist.

Remus was staring at the table, trying to stop the dizziness. Lily was looking at him shyly, "Remus?"

"Y-Yes?" he managed to answer, focusing so that his speech wasn't impaired.

"Would you like to dance?"

Remus stared at her beautiful, slender fingers playing with her tiny gold ring. Her eyes were flickering with excitement, and her mouth grew into a gentle smile. He nodded nervously, getting up and walking her to the dance floor.

When the two got into the middle of the room, everyone was looking at Lily. She was, by far, the most beautiful girl in the room. And she was dancing with Remus Lupin, a shy, book-worm, lanky boy which always followed James Potter and Sirius Black around.

"I've never danced with anyone. Consider yourself warned," Remus joked, feeling more confident by the minute (a side-effect of firewhisky, most likely).

"You could never embarrass me, Remus Lupin," Lily grabbed his hand and placed it on her waist. She held his other hand between her fingers, feeling his warmth. She swayed gracefully to the music, and he followed her movements.

The world stopped for a second and Remus looked around the room. Kissing couples were surrounding them, even Sirius and Marlene had started tasting each others lips. James kissed Kendra and whispered something in her ear, then leaving the Ball Room and going outside, probably. Remus was looking into Lily's eyes, holding her waist tightly. He looked at their intertwining fingers, feeling her soft hands and trying to maintain his balance.

"You're not that bad," Lily giggled, "If you hadn't told me you've never danced with a girl, I wouldn't have guessed it,"

Remus smiled, "You know what they say, I'm a quick learner,"

Lily beamed at Remus as they continued to dance. Suddenly, as she saw James leave with Kendra, her face changed its expression, looking vacantly at the two, "What did James say when you told him we're going to the Ball together?"

Remus stared at the floor, startled by her awkward question, "He's cross with me, obviously. But nevertheless, I reckon he'll come around sooner or later. He needs to understand that… well, I have other friends than them,"

Lily nodded, still staring at the door, "I think he still has some growing up to do,"

Remus laughed, trying to lighten her up, "Haven't we all?"

Lily smiled at him kindly, squeezing his hand, "You're the most mature guy I know, Remus. You seem to have it all sorted out,"

Remus gulped,_ "Not even close," _he thought, "Yeah, about that… I know that I'm a Prefect, and you're a Prefect, and that we sort of kinda have a duty, but…"

Lily frowned, "Oh, not again, Lupin. Another prank?"

Remus laughed nervously, "More like … an _after-party_. A bash, only for the terminal years. In the Gryffindor Common Room,"

"And do you have authorisation for such a party?"

Remus looked away, raising his shoulders and ruffling his hair, "Remus John Lupin, you are a Prefect! If McGonagall finds out, she'll remove us of our duties!"

"_If_ she finds out," Remus pointed out, "I've concocted some well developed plans to avoid her if she hears any … _disturbance_,"

Lily smirked at him, twirling back into his arms, "You really are one of _them_, aren't you?" he laughed and nodded. Lily sighed, "Okay, okay, I won't say a word to McGonagall. Only if I'm invited,"

"Of course you're invited!" Remus jumped, "It's going to be fun, promise, we've good music, some food, and some… _refreshments_,"

Lily laughed, "I'm too scared at this point to ask what kind of refreshments you will be serving this evening, Mr. Lupin,"

* * *

_1 AM, 1st of November, 1975_

_Halloween After-Party, Gryffindor Common Room_

The Ball ended at about half past twelve, when Prof. McGonagall and Miss Spinnet asked the students to proceed to their dormitories, for it was late in the night and they needed rest after dancing so much. Some of the students were obviously disappointed, but others knew the night wasn't going to end so abruptly. All of the Gryffindors were wearing big grins of their faces while they were returning to the Gryffindor Tower. Lily and Remus had danced all night, laughing at Remus' dancing when more upbeat songs played, making fun of Peter, who somehow managed to spill punch all over Sarah's dress, and talking with Sirius and Marlene down at their table. James and Kendra returned after an entire hour, Kendra looking exhausted and James looking as gloomy as he previously did. When Sirius asked him what had he been doing, he just replied "stuff".

When the gang reached the Common Room, Sirius got up on the end table and shouted, "Attention, attention, fellow Gryffindors! In exactly thirty minutes, the Great Gryffindor Halloween Bash shall commence! I invite all the 5th, 6th, and 7th years to go to their rooms and change into something less formal, and all of the underclassmen to go to bed," a 4th year boy shouted it wasn't fair, but Sirius did not pay attention to him, "We welcome all of the lads, and especially all of the ladies," he winked in their direction, getting a few giggles and sighs from the lovestruck girls, "to a night of dancing, drinking, and … losing inhibitions," he winked at Marlene, who was throwing death glares at all the girls staring at Sirius.

Sirius saw Marlene glaring, and cleared his throat, "Ahem, be-before anything else, we have to mention the people which made this event possible. The smugglers, the men who risked everything trying to procure the refreshments : James "Prongs" Potter and Peter "Wormtail" Pettigrew!"

James and Peter waved, and a round of applause ran through the room, "The man with the brilliant mind which developed all of the plans, the preparations, and the measures that would prevent a certain Minnie from finding out of our meeting… the one and only Remus "Moony" Lupin!"

Remus waved nervously, as people were cheering for him, and Lily sighed, thinking about how silly this whole thing was.

"And of course, the one with the idea, the man which started a revolution! He is tall, smart, handsome, daring, enticing, hot, and ladies, has _the biggest wand_ in school," Remus sighed, "Sirius "Padfoot" Black!"

The crowd went bonkers when Sirius called out his own name, and everyone was shouting "Sirius! Sirius!". They were very popular, not only with the Gryffindors, but in the entire school as a matter of fact. But Sirius was certainly the most admired one of the lot. He was smart without studying, had an extremely attractive body, and was the funniest of them all. Plus, everyone loves a rebel.

"I shall be in my chambers, accompanied by my trusted men. In thirty minutes, we will wait for you here, Gryffindor Common Room, and the partying shall begin!"

As the Gryffindors were rushing to their dorm rooms, Lily grabbed Remus' hand and gave it a soft squeeze, "Meet you in thirty minutes, 'kay?"

He nodded and felt his fingers tingling. Remus joined his friends and got up to their room. Sirius searched frantically for his ripped jeans and casual grey t-shirt, "Come on, lads, we need to go down and set everything up. Prongs, get the drinks out! Wormtail, go down there and put everything we have on the end table. Moony, go to the kitchens and get thirty glasses, please!"

Remus pulled some plastic cups from his trunk, "Got it covered, Sirius. It would've been suspicious to nick thirty glasses,"

Sirius winked at Remus, "I swear to Merlin, Moony, that brain of yours is really something!" Sirius threw his t-shirt on himself and pulled his jeans up quickly, running to the door, "I'm going to set up the music, and move the armchairs. Hurry up, will you?"

James snorted, "Jesus, someone's got quite the enthusiasm," he pulled his red jumper over his shoulders, "I'm going downstairs. Come on, Peter,"

Peter pulled his jeans up quickly, running towards James, "Yes, James!" he followed the messy-haired boy eagerly, leaving Remus alone in their room. He was still looking for his jeans, which were somehow misplaced. He finally found them under Sirius' bed, who tried to borrow them, but couldn't fit them. "Figures," puffed Remus. He pulled his black jeans on and grabbed a simple, long sleeved tee. He grabbed the remaining Butterbeer in their room and headed to the Common Room.

The room was almost set up. Sirius, James and Peter had moved the couch so that they would have room to dance. Sirius borrowed a cassette player and turned on the music. The seven bottles of firewhisky were sitting on the table, waiting to be consumed by eager, rebellious teenagers. Remus put the rest of the Butterbeer on the table, and before he could even place it, the room had started to fill up with people.

"Oi, Remus, grab me a Firewhisky," an upperclassmen shouted at Remus, and he rushed to prepare the drink. He poured himself some alcohol as well, and moved away from the table to avoid being a bartender for the entire night. His friends were already doing shots, getting lost in the night. Marlene was by Sirius' side, drinking with him. Remus could tell she was the kind of girl for Sirius; she had everything Sirius looked for in a girl : fun, brains, the ability to make him laugh, and not to add the body.

"Shots not your thing, Mr. Lupin?" Lily joined his side swiftly, changed into her dark-wash jeans and pink sweater, looking very Muggle-ish, "I'd fancy a Butterbeer, if you may,"

He grabbed a beer from under the table, "Miss Evans, for you," she opened her bottle and smiled at him, "I'll take this as my bribe for not ratting you out," she took a big sip out of the beverage, "Uck, this is not your typical Butterbeer, now is it?"

Remus raised his shoulders, as he was starting to feel tipsy again, "Peter stole his parents' batch. It's double distilated,"

Lily smirked at Remus as she continued to drink her beer, "I've never got drunk. Really,"

Remus looked at Lily confused, "Who says you're getting drunk tonight?"

She laughed and finished her beer surprisingly fast. She got up from the couch they had been sitting on, grabbed Remus' hand, and moved to the centre of the room, taking him to dance. A lively, rock tune played in the background. The teenagers banged their head and moved quickly. Lily was jumping around, and Remus held her hand while trying to remain vertical and to support Lily as well, whose balance wasn't in top shape. She became absorbed in the music, moving her arms freely around her body; Remus was entranced by her movements. He grabbed a shot glass from the near-by table and drank it rapidly. The alcohol ran throughout his entire body, entering each vein and artery and taking control over his brain.

She was already dizzy, moving her weight from one leg to another. When she felt as if the room was spinning, she transferred all her weight onto Remus' shoulders, grabbing him into an embrace.

His face was burning and his hand were shaking. The closeness between the two was increasing by the moment. She held her head on his shoulder and felt like home. He felt her presence on his body and forgot about everything : about James, about being a werewolf, about his life.

"Oi, Moony old friend, having fun there, mate?"

Sirius was on the couch with Marlene, snogging. Things were escalating quickly between the two, but not fast enough to require a bedroom. Peter kept dancing with Sarah, who seemed to ignore each and every one of his words.

The one who spoke was James. He was holding Kendra by the waist, dancing with her. She was grinding on him, moving sensually on the rhythm. The two of them were extremely close to Remus and Lily.

"Can we switch partners for a sec, Moony?"

Before objecting, a very drunk James left Kendra twerking in thin air and grabbed Lily by the wrist, pushing Remus away. Remus lost his balance and almost fell down; Kendra gave him her hand and began dancing with him. "This is so bloody awkward," thought Remus as Kendra was glaring at James. Remus tried to stay within earshot of the two, wanting to hear what Lily had to say, or if she needed any help.

"I can't believe you, Evans. Drinking?" James said as he twirled her around, the two of them dancing awkwardly and having no stability whatsoever.

"You should not judge a book by its cover, _Prongs_," Lily stuck her tongue out, "What, you came to annoy me even more?"

James chuckled loudly, "T-T-T-Tell me now, Evaaaans. Why were you Moony's date tonight? Do you_ fancy_ him? You do, don't you?" James entered a hysterical laughter, "Evans has a little _crush_-"

Lily tried to escape James' hold, fidgeting and fighting his hands, "Bloody hell, he was right! You are cross with him! Grow up, Potter! Grow the fuck up! It is not your business who I like! And for the record, Remus is my _friend_. I trust him,"

James smirked as she escaped him, "You'll see, Evans. Moony is still a _bloke_. He's only hanging around to get you out of your _knickers_-"

A loud slap made everyone stop partying. A proper 7th year girl turned the music down, and the boys near the end table stopped pouring whisky down their throats. Remus turned around to look at the pair.

James held his hand over his red face. Lily was holding her hand out, tears in her eyes. She had struck him badly, annoyed and offended at the same time by her comments. He sat there, staring at her, not saying a word. When tears finally ran down her cheeks, James parted his lips, "Lily…."

She ran furiously across the room, opening the door and slamming it closed again. Remus had heard the entire conversation. He walked calmly to James' side and looked in his guilty, deep brown eyes. As he was approaching his friend, James held his hand to touch Remus, and murmured, "Moony, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

James fell on the ground and expelled a deep grunt when he reached the floor. Remus clenched his fist, grinding his teeth ferociously. He had punched James viciously. He was not Remus anymore. He was brutal, relentless, detached. He was_ it_, "You _fucking_ twat, Potter! You drank your sorry arse away and you didn't even manage to control that_ fucking_ mouth for an entire _fucking_ evening! Look what you _fucking_ did now!"

Remus shouted his lungs out, as James got up quickly and tried to approach Remus, "Stay away from me, you _abysmal berk_! Your bloody jealousy has done it now, hasn't it? You're so _obsessed_ with Lily it's clouding your _fucking_ judgement!"

Sirius touched Remus' shoulder, still holding Marlene, "Mate, calm down-"

"Stay out of this, Sirius!" Remus snapped and pushed Sirius away, "I knew this entire thing was a bad idea! Getting plastered on whisky," he looked at James with disgust, throwing a cold blooded glare his way, and saying callously, "She will _never_ fall in love with you, you hear me? _Never_!"

He stormed out of the room, running to her side. He searched for her everywhere : the empty classrooms, the Great Hall, even the Grounds. She was nowhere to be found. He even tried looking in the Prefects' bathroom, but it was completely empty.

He started calling her name out, but knew she would not respond. She was embarrassed, and Remus could understand her if she did not want to see him. He had brought her in this difficult position after all.

He had reached the stairs of the Astronomy Tower when he saw a small green sparkle on the ground. It was a tiny silver bracelet with an emerald in the centre of the silver heart. It was Lily's.

He was climbing the stairs when he heard sobs. Remus approached her with care, trying not to disturb or startle her. It had completely disappeared. It was replaced by kind, caring, patient Remus.

She was on the ground, crying her heart out. Her eyes were red and her nose was blotchy. Her sleeves were wet from all the tears and she was shrivelling up. When he stood close to her, she raised her eyes and saw him, "Re-Remus," she let out.

Remus sat next to her, hugging her shoulders, "Hey, you,"

She sobbed, crying on his shoulder. She looked up and saw his kind eyes, comforting her with his warmth, "I'm so sorry, so sorry you had to see that. I shouldn't've, I thought I was smarter… alcohol, seriously, how trivial am I?"

He chuckled, "It was not your fault. James, he… he shouldn't be drinking, he's defintely not mature enough to handle alcohol-"

Lily put her finger over his lips, "Let's not talk about him now, ok?"

Remus nodded and stopped talking. The two of them were staring at the starts, entranced in the magical landscape. An incomplete, pale disk towered the sky, throwing light in every direction. The light felt almost icy on Remus' thin, milky skin, braided with scars. It was a matter of seconds before Lily burst into tears once more.

Remus kept comforting her, each and every time. It was almost dawn, and Lily had not stopped crying, "Why did it hurt you so bad, Lily, it's not like you don't know James-"

"It wasn't his fault, Remus, not entirely," she whipped her tears and looked at him, "I've lost everyone, Remus, _everyone_. My sister hates me. My childhood friend has stopped talking to me, keeps avoiding me, and he is involved in all kinds of unearthly doings. I have… no left. Except for you,"

Remus looked into her eyes, swimming into the ocean of feelings she held, and abstained himself from asking more, afraid of hurting her, "I won't leave your side, Lily. I'll _always_ be there for you,"

Lily squeezed his hand, "That's why… when he said those...those words, it felt as if I was losing you. I feared he was right,"

Remus shook his head nervously, thinking about James' suggestions, "He was drunk, Lily! I would… I would never do_ that_ to you," he tried to convince himself.

She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, "_Promise_ me, Remus. Promise we'll be there for each other,"

Remus nodded, "Mhm," he ran his fingers over her delicate hand, "_Always_,"


End file.
